


upon the burning of our hearts

by myouwos



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Lucifer AU, because we love a good old childhood best friends to enemies to lovers, but it's not even angst just sexc fights, so a demon/angel fic, the only angst in this is sanayeon fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:13:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 46,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myouwos/pseuds/myouwos
Summary: "we couldn't find anything about you in our records." mina's voice is suddenly much colder, cutting through the room like sharpened ice. "how do you explain that?""well, i am the devil."mina blinks, eyes darting to her colleagues waiting behind the glass. but what really makes her pause, what explains the time it takes for her to form a coherent answer, is that after all of the classes she took on the studies of human behavior, she can almost assure that nayeon is not lying."ora misanayeon lucifer au, in which nayeon got bored of hell and chose to take up residence in tokyo, meeting an overly confused detective, and having to deal with her angel ex-girlfriend's sudden wish for revenge.
Relationships: Im Nayeon/Minatozaki Sana, Im Nayeon/Minatozaki Sana/Myoui Mina, Im Nayeon/Myoui Mina, Minatozaki Sana/Myoui Mina
Comments: 53
Kudos: 317
Collections: Shot Thru the Heart: A Writing Collection





	1. if i'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes too

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was inspired by the show lucifer but does not follow canon at all, because 1) i have only seen the first season and 2) i wanted to take liberties with it! 
> 
> hope you'll enjoy the story<3

  
  


purple neon lights flicker on the facade of tokyo's new popular club, illuminating the room nayeon chose to bring the second girl she encountered by the bar last night in.. just like the first one, no name was ever asked for- and really, no words were pronounced, that's usually not what she seeks in the women that share her bed. dull conversations about the weather and what occupies her days have never, ever led to great sex, and this, she's sure of. 

  
  


the dawn is still hiding, a timid sun slowly rising in the horizon and making her wish she had remembered to close the blinds before her back hit the bed. it's nayeon's favorite part of the day- when everyone is still asleep, and the night is still going, trying to resist the call of the sun to back away for a few hours. that, and no one bothers her then. not even the second girl who it seems does not snore as much as the first one. what a great choice she made there, all thanks to experience, really.

  
  


the sheets smell of alcohol, strong and intoxicating, and of a cheap perfume she loathes for it reminds her of the white roses of heaven. pure by definition and yet so cruel and unforgiving. shifting under the covers- and the hand that took place on her waist- she sighs, her ears catching low noises coming from downstairs.

  
  


the nightclub is usually quiet by this time of the day, not even bothered by singing birds, the small creatures fearing for their feathers to burn and paralyze their own pairs of wings. 

  
  


that's what catches her attention, nayeon wondering if tzuyu had a night as amazing as the one she spent next door. but she doesn't need to think about it for too long, because the same woman she had been thinking of makes sure to ruin her until now amazing morning.

  
  


"if you don't bring your ass out of bed right now, i'll tell this girl you're into feet." her tone is soft, contrasting with her words in a way that makes nayeon feel like whatever threat she reserved for her will definitely be coming true unless she does as asked. and really, after so many years spent leading the underworld and having to respect protocols and rules her father imposed, nayeon hates having to follow orders. 

  
  


but when her eyelids slowly slide open and she finds a smiling but nonetheless intimidating tzuyu leaning over her, it's not a question of likes and dislikes anymore. 

  
  


"nothing wrong with liking feet." she mumbles, low enough for tzuyu to ask her to repeat herself. at her beginnings on earth, she found out about just how much importance humans give to reputations, and this, this is not one she wants. especially not if it keeps her from seeing the girl lying next to her again. she does like her, after all. "i said i'm coming! give me a second to get dressed."

  
  


"that's nothing i haven't seen before." and the traumatized look that flashes in her eyes would really offend nayeon in any other situation. but it's dawn now, and dawn puts her in a jovial mood. the purple lights flicker one last time until they completely die out, and something shifts in the atmosphere. perhaps it is bad omen, perhaps it is tzuyu flicking her across the forehead and calling her names, she will unfortunately never know. "anyway, hurry, the cops are here 'cause someone died last night." 

  
  


death is not a concept nayeon is fond of, although some would be tempted to believe the contrary. 

  
  


she is the devil, after all. and what kind of devil does not love watching humans going up in flames and crying right before death falls upon them. but she's not the grim reaper either, and that's a commonly made mistake. nayeon does not kill people, she makes sure their souls are well-taken care of. by torturing, mostly, but they did deserve it. 

  
  


(hell actually is a very beautiful place once you get over the pleas for help and the horrifying demons. dirty, and a bit hot, sure. but beautiful.) 

  
  


tzuyu, her all-time favorite acolyte, leaves the mess that is her bedroom before she can ask any more questions, accidentally walking on a half-empty bottle of champagne that ends up broken on the floor after her passage. it is with difficulty and a heartbreaking pain that nayeon leaves girl number two behind, staring at her almost entirely uncovered body with a pout of regret. it might be hard to believe, but she really hates leaving without notifying the person she spent the night with first. that's a cowardly move, and she's a lot of things, but definitely not that one. 

  
  


it takes five minutes for her to get dressed, the shirt she had on last night unfortunately having been torn and now being useless. the red silk one she chooses is just as perfect, and nothing fits the devil better than a vibrant red shirt- all she's missing is the pitchfork-like tail, really. 

  
  


"so that's what a crime scene looks like?" nayeon asks as she finally joins tzuyu, observing the scene unfolding before her eyes from the balustrade. "that's oddly underwhelming. where's the blood and the cadavers?"

  
  


not one to wait for tzuyu to tell her what to do, nayeon quickly walks down the stairs that lead to the vip area of the club, the unicorn- she didn't choose it and that's all you should know- ice sculpture they had installed for a special occasion now a melted puddle on the floor. brushing away the police cordon, she finally finds the cadaver she was searching for and hurries toward it, in search of evidence of what might have happened. 

  
  


nayeon is not fond of death, but she's not one to care either. that comes with being immortal, obviously. and also with how annoying humans who turn into demons are, tormented souls more likely to end up trying to terrorize earth than the ones willing to go to heaven. and really, whoever that is looks like they were a demon before they even died. 

  
  


she kneels down, watching with narrowed eyes and trying to see if any remains of this man's soul are trapped in his still warm body. her palm lays across his chest, damp skin of the dead not feeling so soft under her hand, and she closes her eyes, waiting. nothing comes, of course, she's not some kind of witch who speaks with the dead, ghosts and all sort of creatures you can find in recent hollywood movies. but she does feel a pure aura approaching, bringing her hand back to her knees as she braces herself and stands up.

  
  


"ma'am, this a crime scene, please step away from the victim and leave the building." a voice half-yells at her from the other side of the club. the diamond-like disco ball hanging over her head causes a sharp and unavoidable light to momentarily blind the detective as she walks toward nayeon. the main room is still dark at this hour, but the doors left wide open bring the blue-collared officers a welcoming light, one that makes nayeon visibly cringe as she turns to face whoever this woman might be. 

  
  


"you have nothing to do here." 

  
  


"this place is mine, i have everything to do here, actually."

  
  


the purity she felt from her is now entirely gone, a dark glare of annoyance having replaced all of it. it's intimidating, but not in the tzuyu kind of way. this woman feels more refined in her anger, as if nothing would ever get her to entirely lash out, but will succeed in getting anyone to give up on trying. 

  
  


"oh really?" the blonde-haired woman reaches for her back pocket, bringing handcuffs to dangle in front of nayeon's face. "that's sad to hear, because you're under arrest for tampering with evidence and we will be hearing what you have to say about your precious club at the station. now turn around."

  
  


there are times when nayeon misses the power she had in hell, the way no one ever dared to look straight at her in fear, the way she was venerated by many. 

  
  


right now is one of those times. 

  
  


"so early in the relationship?" she does as asked, smirking when the cuffs encircle her wrists. "that's something i usually kept for stage number three. be careful, you missed the whole spanking phase." 

  
  


a kick in the shin does work in getting her to shut up.

  
  


tzuyu snickers, and waves her goodbye, amused, right before disappearing into thin air. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


police stations are definitely not what nayeon had expected. 

  
  


first of all, she never believed her request for a morning coffee would be met by a positive answer. and although one of her wrists is still tightly secured by the handcuffs, the warm beverage helps in a way. it contrasts like red would with blue with the glacial aura that seems to follow the officer she was unlucky enough to encounter- mina, judging by the name one of her colleagues shouted across the station. it's beautiful, a name that calls for a tender and pure soul. and nayeon might be fonder of the tarnished ones, but she does see the appeal of this feisty human. 

  
  


"you forgot to add sugar in my coffee." the sour taste does not escape her, and she cringes slightly as it pools on her tongue. nayeon hates sugarless coffee, if she had wanted for her throat to burn she would have asked for a morning whiskey instead. 

  
  


"oh, no, i didn't forget." 

  
  


nayeon blinks, eyes going from the fuming cup to mina's half-smirk. the air of shock that replaces her previous fondness on her features does not escape mina, but she ignores it, flicking through files absentmindedly. 

  
  


bringing the cup down, she gives up on finding any kind of comfort in this cold and unwelcoming place- although she supposes that's the whole point of a police station, for one to never want to have to come back. leaning back in her seat, legs arrogantly crossed, she waits. and contrary to earlier, the detective does not seem eager to wrap this up, occasionally glancing at the one-way glass behind nayeon as if waiting for a signal.

  
  


"we couldn't find anything about you in our records." mina's voice is suddenly much colder, cutting through the room like sharpened ice. "how do you explain that?"

  
  


"well, i am the devil."

  
  


mina blinks, eyes darting to her colleagues waiting behind the glass. but what really makes her pause, what explains the time it takes for her to form a coherent answer, is that even after all of the classes she took on the studies of human behavior, nayeon is definitely not lying.

  
  


"are you going to be like that man i arrested for public nudity last week who pretended to be shrek?" the detective leans back in her seat, and the aura of superiority she is very obviously trying to enforce on nayeon makes the devil itch uncomfortably. this, this is exactly what she misses about hell. "because i'm not sure i'll have the patience to handle that again."

  
  


"ogres do not exist, but the devil sure does. this man and i are nothing alike. first of all, i would never get arrested for public nudity. i'm smart enough to make sure the police isn't anywhere near me first." 

  
  


"i see." mina drawls the last vowel, still too shocked to react properly to the eccentric woman. "so, about the murder. are you familiar with the victim?"

  
  


"familiar?" nayeon fiddles with the handcuff still attached to her wrist, pensive. "no, of course not. i might own that club- it's one of the most popular of the moment in case you don't have a social life like i guessed and never heard of it- but… i don't care much for who enters and who leaves. and until now, no one ever entered without being able to go back to where they came from."

  
  


mina looks out of words- and she is, really. it took her three seconds to understand that nayeon would be one of those arrogant self-centered jerks she sometimes unfortunately has to deal with. it took her less time than that to be done with her behavior. 

  
  


"ok." she sighs, glaring even more, and brings a picture in front of nayeon. the victim's wound is clearly visible, and she reaches for it in order to see it from up-close. "do you have an idea of what might have killed the victim?"

  
  


"of what? no. but of who? i could help you find out in a few hours if you let me work with you." 

  
  


mina snickers then, wide eyes of disbelief staring at nayeon. she asks her a few basic questions after that, until she gets tired of interrogating her and takes the picture back from her hand, packing the files and walking out of the room. 

  
  


her amused smile dies down as soon as the chief asks for her presence in her office, and tells her about the new consultant they just recruited. motionless, mina refuses to turn slightly to the right to see who exactly that new consultant is. certainly because she knows, the intense smell of cologne giving her a headache already. 

  
  


how she managed to convince chief park of getting to help mina on a case she might have herself have been involved in, she does not know. and honestly, it probably is better that way. 

  
  


("so tell me, chief park, what is it you truly desire?" 

  
  


nayeon's eyes, the temptation to fall for the devil's sweet words and promises, have never failed her. everyone is always so eager to tell her about their desires, even ones they never admitted out loud to anyone- not even themselves. and the chief had been just like everyone, hypnotized under nayeon's dark brown eyes and the depth she believed she might fall into if the devil allowed it. 

  
  


and really, buying her the best bike on the market and promising her a week of vacation in hawaii to try it out is one of the easiest wishes nayeon had to take care of.

  
  


not that she's complaining. but the innocence she sometimes finds in some human's desires is truly sickening, and jihyo sounds far too angel-like for nausea not to hit her.)

  
  


"no." 

  
  


that 

turns into a half-yelled "do not sit on my desk!" a few minutes later, and that's how she finds herself babysitting an egocentric woman- who actually is the devil, but her ignorance on that aspect of her identity might be for the best. for now, of course. 

  
  


mina has never worked with a consultant before, but if she knows one thing, it is that nayeon is the last person she wanted it to be. but that's not what matters right now, and she tries to ignore the woman now taking a call right in front of her office to focus on solving a murder. at the end of the day, nayeon will most probably get bored of following her around and mina will still have a murderer to catch for their crimes. 

  
  


so she pushes through, even when nayeon flirts with the medical chief- no, slight rectification, the married medical chief- of their unit. 

  
  


even when nayeon interrupts her trail of thoughts every time she gets a lead on the potential murderer to praise herself, stealing mina's phone to stare at her own reflection in its screen. even when nayeon questions her investigation techniques to the point of getting her patience to reach its limit- this ends in a short screaming session, one that leaves mina breathless and frustrated, but that seems to have no effect on nayeon who simply shrugs once she's done and asks if she would like to share a glass of wine with her. 

  
  


mina pushes through, and yells into a pillow as soon as she gets home, falling flat on her couch. 

  
  


a small body settles over her, arms wrapping around her neck in a soft hold for a hug, and the short embrace is enough to get all of her worries and frustration to pour out of her and settle over her head in a still warning dark cloud, one that announces an imminent rain that simply took a small pause in order to allow the sunshine of her life to chase away whatever was on her mind.

  
  


(and yet, nayeon's smirk is still there, haunting her. 

  
  


busying herself with preparing dinner for her six-year-old daughter does succeed in giving her a short-lived break, but something tells her this woman she just met will not be magically disappearing away from her life anytime soon. 

  
  


and when her eyelids fall shut on that same night, her daughter clinging to her side, mina's nightmares get a small visit from the devil.)

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


"and what exactly is this going to bring to you? if you wanted a hobby you could have just picked up golfing, not tracking murderers for fun." 

  
  


spending the evening with tzuyu is something nayeon would usually call a waste of time. not because she dislikes the only friend she has in here- and certainly in all universes, really, no one was ever truly fond of her in hell. it has more to do with the pretty girls she's left to admire from afar on the top floor of the club, deafening music playing through the place and begging for her to get down and spend another night of fun. 

  
  


but today was different on too many aspects, and for someone like nayeon, that calls for a small emergency meeting. 

  
  


(tzuyu does not really care because, well, when has she ever. 

  
  


no, nayeon's doings are not her own, and if she decides to fuck something up again she will make sure to fly to the other side of the earth. alone. 

  
  


but the thing is, she met this cute human girl the other day, tiny but definitely able to pick up a fight with a demon, and leaving isn't one of her priorities anymore. 

  
  


so if nayeon could lay low for a while in order to continue to be ignored by god, she would be thankful. very thankful.)

  
  


"what do you know about hobbies? you throw daggers at a wall for fun and wear leather from your own choice." nayeon misses the glare the demon shots her, twirling the alcohol in her glass. she ignores what it is, but it burns her throat enough to make her appreciate the taste. "i thought we agreed on you throwing the leather pants away after someone mistook the club for some kind of dungeon." 

  
  


"with what you do up there in your room, can't exactly blame them for it." 

  
  


tzuyu pretends to leave then, nayeon tugging her back by her side right after. the devil sighs, finally turning away from the crowd to lean back on the balustrade.

  
  


"i like this woman. she's a fun human, i think we'll have a lot of fun together."

  
  


"what kind of fun?" tzuyu asks, her raised eyebrow telling nayeon everything she needs to know about how bored she is by their conversation. 

  
  


"the kind you and your little girlfriend will never know." 

  
  


nayeon has to spend the rest of the night resting in bed after tzuyu slices her cheek with one of her precious daggers. 

  
  


she totally deserved it.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


mina has her own habits at work, and it's been that way ever since she was named lead detective. 

  
  


the station is almost empty when she arrives, early enough for dawn to still be rising. the few officers there are lucky enough to get to share some of the croissants she sometimes buys on her way to work, a bakery owned by an old friend being right next to her daughter's school. everyone will thank her for the generous gesture, and those who came in too late will be in a sour mood for a few minutes, sad to have missed the morning sweetness. 

  
  


the chief usually passes by her office to ask about the recent case she's working on, and leaves with a brief but nonetheless appreciated praise for her hard work. 

  
  


her office has to be perfectly tidied- which has never been much of an issue considering only she uses it. and she always starts her day by going through her emails, followed by a visit to the medical chief's laboratory. 

  
  


but all of that was without counting on someone's unanticipated presence. 

  
  


"what's all this?" she asks, half-eaten croissant still in hand, as she stops in front of her office door. the bullpen is quiet, save for a few coughs coming from officer kim, and her look of surprise turns into one of exasperation fast. yellow police cordons are all over her office door, keeping it shut.

  
  


"oh, that?" nayeon's voice startles her, and she accidentally lets go of her breakfast when taking a step away from her. the woman only looks proud of herself, arms folded over an entirely white pantsuit that's accentuated by an untied black tie. "i broke into your office this morning but didn't have a key to lock it again, but this works really well. i can assure you that no one came in and stole anything from you."

  
  


patting her back comfortingly, nayeon smiles at her without ever doubting her own actions. it makes the detective grit her teeth silently, her jaw tight as she kneels down to reach for her now ruined croissant, suddenly glad for the existence of coffee. it's all that's keeping her from erupting in a blinding rage right now, really. 

  
  


nayeon waves at everyone, every present officer staring at them. a few wave back timidly, immediately stopping when mina turns to face them again. 

  
  


"thank you very much, nayeon. but when i say you didn't need to, i truly… truly mean it." 

  
  


and what makes mina spend twenty minutes in the restroom an hour later, sitting on the closed lid to catch even a short instant of peace, is not only the woman's loudness, but also her omnipresence in her life. 

  
  


nayeon is, simply put, everywhere. 

  
  


she's sitting on her desk, throwing a ball at the wall and catching it repeatedly until mina confiscates it. she's flirting with officer kim everytime she passes by her office, the poor woman failing to hide her blush whenever that happens. she's tampering with the precious evidence mina has, drinking from the glass the victim had used that night without ever seeing the problems that might cause. but what really makes her run out of her office is when nayeon accidentally erases the file she had been working on all morning. 

  
  


it's too much, too much for her to handle in so little time. and the only thing that calms her down is the picture of her daughter that features as a lock screen on her phone. her breathing finally slows down when her eyes fall onto her brightening smile and the mirth coursing in innocent eyes. it certainly won't be enough for her day to be saved, but it brings her a well-needed temporary peace.

  
  


"nayeon, we're going to pay a visit to the victim's girlfriend to interrogate her now." she grabs her coat from the hanger, waiting for the woman to join her- she started playing gardenscapes on her phone twenty minutes ago and hasn't stopped since then, and mina would rather not think of all the lives she's losing and will not be getting to use during her lunch break. "if you intend on coming, it's right now."

  
  


and when she doesn't get an answer, mina becomes hopeful. she knows officers are not supposed to visit a suspect alone, but if that means she can catch a break from nayeon, she will definitely take it. 

  
  


but because fate does not seem to be working in her favor, nayeon opens the door to her car right before she can drive away. 

  
  


"there are no lives left." she throws the phone on mina's laps, sulking as she sits next to her. "i hate this game." 

  
  


mina keeps the curses flirting on the tip of her tongue to herself, but if she could, she would genuinely throw nayeon out by the window. 

  
  


it's too bad that something tells her her strength is very limited compared to hers. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


"hello, officer im nayeon and her second in command myoui mina. we have a few questions to ask you, if you would please let us come in." mina stares at her new partner in disbelief, shaking her head from the credulity of the situation. that does succeed in stopping the woman who seems to believe she will be conducting this interrogation instead of letting her speak. 

  
  


she lets it go at first, reminded of the murder she needs to solve and focusing on the first suspect they have. the slight trembling of her hands does not announce anything good, for her at least, and she almost expects her to close the door in their face and run away at any moment.

  
  


although nothing of the sort happens, and they're quickly invited to take a seat in her living room, nayeon briefly insulting what she considers to be a very plain and boring decoration as their guest goes to fetch a glass of water for herself.

  
  


mina is glad to see that nayeon got the memo and finally shuts up to let her lead the interrogation. it does not keep her from making a few distasteful comments through it, but it's nothing that an eye roll and a glare can't solve. 

  
  


when they're about to leave, mina having enough information to start looking into her case more in-depth, nayeon asks to use the bathroom. it's definitely not something any officer of the law should be doing in a suspect's house, but that does not seem to bother her at all. waiting in the entrance is awkward, the woman avoiding her eyes certainly because she knows her free days are now counted, and mina remembers to pay a visit to chief park again today. not that she hasn't tried already, but perhaps she will finally agree to give nayeon to someone else. 

  
  


and when she finally comes down the stairs, mina believing they can finally escape this place and go back to work, nayeon stops in front of the woman, and stares at her intently. 

  
  


there's something about her look then that makes her feel like she's missing something about the two's interaction. but right before she can grab her arm and ask for her to leave, nayeon speaks and stops her from doing just that.

  
  


"tell me, emily." she almost murmurs, stepping even closer to her. "you wanted to kill him, didn't you?" 

  
  


a short moment of silence gives this question a heavier meaning than the one mina might have understood, and she doesn't dare break it. curious to know what nayeon is trying to find out by asking such a question, she waits, ready to brush this off as her being weird again. 

  
  


in all reality, there was no way for mina to expect to hear any of the words that escape the suspect. but nayeon knew, of course she did. 

  
  


"i did. i wanted to kill him for everything he put me through." turning to fully face her, mina stares at her in shock, slack jawed. "he cheated on me, so i think he deserved to die." 

  
  


three hours later, as nayeon pops open a bottle of champagne in her office and accidentally breaks the window, mina is still too shocked to process what happened. 

  
  


proof of that is that her only reaction to the mess her office has now become is a shrug of her shoulders, and a tired sigh.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


small red umbrella twirling in her glass, mina sighs before bringing the cocktail nayeon prepared for her to her lips. it tastes sweet, ice-cold lemonade giving a fresh feel to whatever alcohol she put in there. 

  
  


she likes it. and nayeon's promise to make her a drink that would assuredly fit her personal tastes was certainly one she should have taken more seriously.

  
  


the club is still quiet so early into the evening, the sun still passing through the blinds and illuminating the room in a soft orange halo. it's the only thing that made her accept to meet nayeon here, that and the promised free alcohol in celebration of the success that was this case. never in her life has mina been able to find a murderer so fast, especially with so little evidence, and she supposes nayeon is to thank for that.

  
  


her resentment of the woman might still be strong, as strong as the perfume she bathes herself in each morning, but it doesn't stop her from admitting the obvious. nayeon, on her first day as a consultant, made a suspect admit to being responsible of a murder with a few words and a single look. 

  
  


it's maddening, especially since now, nothing will be able to convince chief park of asking for nayeon to work with someone else. not after the news praised their "team"- she fought against the use of that term to no use- for a quick and efficient work. 

  
  


her ego as a lead detective was hurt today, meanwhile nayeon's only grew bigger. 

  
  


"so how is it? i'm starting to think my skills as a detective are just as amazing as my bartending ones." the woman arrives behind the bar, elbows leaning in front of mina, still clad in the white suit she chose this morning after tzuyu joked about the devil liking to dress in white far too much. she let go of the tie earlier- to throw it at dahyun, that is, but it does give her a more laid back aura. a bit less of a seductress in her appearances, and a bit more of a friendly look. not that it will fool mina, of course not. "and i've been doing one of those for a single day. bet you've never seen that before." 

  
  


"someone like you?" mina scoffs, taking another well-needed sip of the alcohol. "no, you could say i've never met anyone like you before." 

  
  


"that's not very surprising, to be entirely honest." and nayeon always seems so serious when praising herself that mina almost does not react this time, simply looking away with a light smile. "now, do you perhaps want to find out how to make anyone confess in the span of a few seconds? i could teach you, you know. that and many more things."

  
  


her wink is a fail, again, and this time it makes mina laugh, her hand settling over her lips to hide a gummy smile nayeon should definitely not deserve yet. the unsaid insinuations are ones she does not miss, but for the first time since their first meeting, it amuses her more than anything. 

  
  


"i'll pass on the second offer. i'm curious to know about the first one though." 

  
  


"it's very simple actually. all you need to is look at them straight in the eyes," nayeon slowly leans further onto the counter, getting closer to mina. her attention is entirely focused on the woman then, deep brown eyes calling for her name. it takes nothing but a stare for her to lose herself in nayeon. "and ask one, simple question."

  
  


"what is it?" 

  
  


letting time pass for a few seconds, nayeon doesn't say anything nor does she move. she stays expressionless, the intensity of her look almost making mina forget about the sweet taste of sugar still on her tongue and the strong scent of jasmine. the tension is so thick that she's unable to move or speak, and her heart slows down until it remains as a distant drum sound that overtakes the soft music of the club. 

  
  


until nayeon takes a deep breath, a smirk slowly replacing an undeniable seriousness, and licks dry lips before speaking. 

  
  


"myoui mina, what is your deepest desire?" 

  
  


silence follows her question- which is in itself a rare occurrence, but not entirely unseen before. nayeon raises an eyebrow, getting even closer to mina until her chest is almost entirely on the other side of the bar. and she waits. and mina's pupils dilate slightly, her lips hovering over the straw of her drink, so close and yet so far from falling under the temptation that is the devil. 

  
  


and yet, nothing happens. 

  
  


that is, until the sound of blowing bubbles breaks the one they were stuck in, mina drinking from the bamboo straw nayeon put in her glass and realizing she already finished the delicious cocktail. 

  
  


"right now?" she looks away from nayeon, something that no mere human should be able to do while she's exercising her powers on them. "i really want another one of those actually." 

  
  


nayeon stares at the empty glass mina is now handing her, and she blinks, confused.

  
  


"no, no i don't think you understand. i asked," she pauses- certainly for dramatic effect more than anything- and takes a deep, shaky breath. "what is it you truly desire, mina? to become famous, to quit your job and never have to work again… me?" 

  
  


looking around the room which is unfortunately still empty, mina searches for something, as if the answer resided in an object she could find here. or she might be silently asking for help, for all nayeon knows. but when she looks at nayeon again, the confusion in her eyes does not lie. 

  
  


mina is immune to her powers. 

  
  


"you might need to reevaluate your detective skills, officer im." the detective shrugs, still oblivious to what nayeon was trying to do. and that's what makes her realize that no matter what the reason behind her immunity to her powers might be, mina is human. a demon would have either understood what she was attempting to do, or she would most certainly already have a knife through her chest- in both situations, really. they hate having someone look into their desires- just as much as nayeon does, nothing good ever comes out of finding out what one of them wishes to do.

  
  


(the last time she saw one, she realized her nature when their relationship had already been far too engaged to stop so soon.

  
  


nayeon hates demons, but she's never made much of a difference between a pretty human girl, and a demonic one. so when she asked her what she desired, and the demon she had initially believed to be human admitted without thinking that she wished to eat her brains … nayeon stayed locked in her room for an entire week and swore to never fall for a woman's looks again. 

  
  


that had not lasted any longer, obviously.

  
  


but she's still happy to know that mina is not one of them. the trauma is still there, after all.)

  
  


"so, about that drink? i'll even share one with you, there still is an hour left before the nanny has to leave." 

  
  


nayeon spends the rest of the evening silently sulking, and that in itself is surprising enough for mina to know something is wrong.

  
  


although she chooses not to question her about it. no, she has enough to worry about to add nayeon's hardships to her own. she's sure it's nothing the woman she sees her embracing as she leaves won't fix, the club now full and hard to navigate through.

  
  


nayeon waves at her right before she passes by the back door.

  
  


mina never notices.

  
  


the lights in the nightclub are turquoise on that night, reminding mina of the hawaiian waters she sometimes dreams of, wondering if she will ever get a well-deserved vacation there. and as she closes it behind herself, now back in the dark of the night and alone, she almost feels the urge to walk back there, and tell nayeon just that.

  
  


instead, mina spends the rest of the night with her daughter, a curious emptiness beginning to take place in her chest. 

  
  


(nayeon spends the night alone for the first time in months.) 

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


the next case they find themselves working on together is a lot trickier, and nayeon knows a play on words and a look will not be enough this time. so she tries to let mina lead the investigation- not without adding her grain of salt once in a while- and stays relatively calm. 

  
  


mina appreciates the change of behavior a lot although she has long ago understood nothing will work in getting nayeon to sit on the couch instead of her desk. it's nothing compared to the mess her office was last week, so she lets it go, only mumbling under her breath every time dahyun pays her a visit and nayeon takes it as an opportunity to have some fun. that's nothing a little talk with dahyun during which she asks her to try not to forget files so often anymore can't rule, and overall, she would say that this has been going well.

  
  


nayeon is still extremely arrogant, and she continues to use all of her lives on gardenscapes, never failing to complain about how bad this game is once she's done. and really, there are times when mina imagines herself opening the window and accidentally pushing her through it- her office is on the ground floor, it's not like she would get that hurt. but those aren't as frequent as before.

  
  


despite all of this and their relationship greatly improving, what gives mina a small change of heart about nayeon is something else entirely.

  
  


mina hates having to work at home. not only because with a job like hers, separating both her private and work life is a necessity. but also because she hates having files with pictures of dead bodies and potential murderers anywhere near her daughter. but with the case they're now both working on, what resembles a murder caused by jealousy but that could very well be something else entirely, it's not like she has much of a choice.

  
  


and of course nayeon would insist on accompanying her home in order to work with her there, even with the duties she certainly has to attend at the club judging by the never-ending ringing of her phone. 

  
  


that's how she finds herself staring at an unexpected and yet very heartwarming picture. 

  
  


nayeon hates children, really, she does. well, hate might be a strong word. she's never had anything in particular against them. but she can still hear the loud screams the rare ones who visited her in hell would let out, blasting through her ears painfully, and that's not a memory she wants to remember at all. not when the sole presence of children there used to annoy her. she might hate heaven, but that's where all of them belonged. no child should ever be put through hell- which is why she made sure to ask tzuyu to send them there. 

  
  


and mina's daughter, nari, might be very different from the spoiled brats she used to be familiar with, but she's still a child with sticky fingers and boogers to take care of. 

  
  


their first interaction is as awkward as mina had anticipated- nayeon flirts with the nanny, and she has to elbow her in the ribs to get her to stop. nari starts crying as soon as nayeon kneels down to greet her and smiles, and it's almost like she can see her real nature through the facade she keeps up, the child running away when nayeon reaches for her for comfort. after eleven minutes of annoying cries and three of glaring from the six-year-old, nayeon gives up on befriending her and gets to work, sitting by the large dining table as if it was hers. 

  
  


it only is a few hours later that nayeon has to interact with the young child again- not by choice, of course. mina called the pizzeria a few blocks from her place to order two margherita, and the delivery guy is currently waiting for her downstairs. 

  
  


"don't be mean." she tells nayeon right after she leaves, grabbing her wallet along with her keys and not forgetting to lay a short kiss on her daughter's forehead. 

  
  


and of course nari would start crying as soon as nayeon tries to smile at her again, light sobs taking over her small body as her grip around a teal dinosaur plushie tightens. 

  
  


"my smile is not that ugly!" nayeon half-yells as soon as her crying starts again, standing from the chair and folding her arms petulantly. staring down at a child is certainly low, even for the devil, but that's exactly what makes her not care at all about how silly she might look. "want to know what's ugly? your crying face!" 

  
  


simply put, nothing about their first interaction could let mina know she would come back to such a sight. and she knows that no matter how often she asks, she will never know what happened while she was gone.

  
  


certainly because nayeon and her ego will never allow her to find out.

  
  


"hug." nari mumbles through her tears, making grabby hands toward nayeon as she lets go of the dinosaur and lets it fall down to the floor. nayeon blinks, shaking her head when she understands what the child is asking from her. 

  
  


"i don't hug crybabies. i'm the devil." she adds, proudly pointing at herself as if nari would understand exactly what that means and cower in fear. 

  
  


but when she looks like she might start sobbing again, lips wobbling and breathing accelerating, nayeon groans and admits defeat. she hates it, because the devil never gives in and especially not into a spoiled child's pleas, but when nari laughs happily as she takes her in her arms, sitting down on the couch with the little girl now calm on her laps, nayeon decides it was okay for this one time.

  
  


(it won't be the last one though. but she doesn't need to know that yet.)

  
  


"let's take a short break to eat and nari will go to bed after-" 

  
  


mina stops on her way to the dining table, pizza now forgotten as she takes in the unexpected sight of her daughter laughing amusedly as nayeon gently bounces her on her laps. the glare she receives from the woman is enough to get her to forget about making any kind of comment about the situation, but she does not resist a slightly raised eyebrow and an amused smirk from forming on her lips.

  
  


"pizza!" nari screams excitedly, slipping down from nayeon's laps to claim her seat around the table, and it makes the scene look so very domestic that mina forgets she met nayeon a week ago. she still is a complete stranger to her, and yet something about her feels oddly familiar. 

  
  


(mina does not immediately understand why the emptiness in her chest is gone as she stares at both nayeon and her daughter. 

  
  


but she will, in due time.)

  
  


they eat altogether, and nayeon only stops glaring at nari- who repeatedly sticks her tongue out at her, mouth still full of pizza- when mina hits her with her foot under the table. putting that aside, it goes remarkably well. 

  
  


and when she puts her daughter to sleep, nari insists on getting a good night hug from nayeon who reluctantly joins them in the dinosaur themed bedroom.

  
  


("who knew you had a soft spot for kids, uh." 

  
  


"i don't. the only kid i ever took care of turned out to be a living nightmare." 

  
  


and really, she did. 

  
  


and although mina might still be oblivious to her existence, she will find out about tzuyu soon enough.

  
  


"also, if it wasn't me, i'd think your kid is the devil.") 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


the club is always full on saturday night, almost as busy as nayeon. she might be the owner here, but she would never be able to manage such a place if it weren't for tzuyu's constant help. the good thing about the demon is that contrary to nayeon, nothing is ever enough to get her distracted from her initial missions. not even a pretty girl winking at her from the other side of the room- unless that girl is chaeyoung, of course, but elitist nightclubs aren't exactly her thing. 

  
  


tonight, nayeon swore to work a bit more than these past few days, and that's exactly what she has been doing. or was doing, to be correct. 

  
  


it's not her fault this time, really. nothing in her schedules planned for a special time consecrated to an old enemy coming down from heaven to have a small discussion with her. angels have never been good with respecting the busy woman that she is anyway and this used to be one of her struggles even back in hell, when they interrupted her long hours of work by playing some kind of harp and singing chants that really, really made them look out of place. 

  
  


but today, today, it's different. probably because she has not seen this particular angel in years.

  
  


"ouch, let me go!" 

  
  


tugging her by the ear, the angel barely acknowledges tzuyu's presence with a curious look as she brings nayeon to her private quarters. she has always been the opposite to nayeon- when the devil constantly seeks attention and recognition, angels are shy and discreet beings who would rather hide than expose themselves to human. 

  
  


nayeon only succeeds in getting away from the angel she immediately recognizes as her ex-girlfriend once they reach her quarters. the absence of any human certainly is what finally allows her to let go of the invisible barriers she kept around herself, and not a second passes until sana finds herself pinned to the nearest wall, the devil in her truest of forms staring right back her.

  
  


red eyes in which a burning fire could be seen and two horns growing on top of her head would be enough to dissuade anyone of messing with nayeon. but sana simply allows the halo on top of her head to materialize, forcing the devil to blink as a blinding light reaches her eyes. she chuckles, bringing a hand to cup nayeon's cheek, and caresses it gently. 

  
  


"hi, it's been a while. still as easy to handle as before i see." 

  
  


nothing ever works in getting an angel to lose their temper. if so, they become fallen ones and lose their wings. the same wings nayeon has long ago forgotten about, the ones that left two long scars on her back no charm has ever been able to undo. sana's are magnificent wings, pure, and it's as if light came directly from them. it only serves in reminding nayeon of a dark past only earth allows her to forget. 

  
  


"i'll show you easy when i throw you back to heaven." nayeon refuses to pull away, barely moving as sana's fingertips trail up her cheek to settle in her hair, brushing it back and making sure to avoid the threatening horns sitting on top of her head like a crown. she groans then, taking a step closer to sana and pushing her even closer to the wall. "what did father send you here for?"

  
  


"i see you still have daddy issues. you might want to join him up there someday and discuss this with him in person, you know." sana even looks innocent when she's making fun of nayeon, and that only serves in putting her in a sour mood, one that sana's soft smile does not improve. "heard humans have this thing called therapy where they talk about their problems and someone pretends to give them advice, you should try that."

  
  


(nayeon already did, actually. but she's not about to admit that to sana, not when the therapy session ended up with her accidentally setting fire to the doctor's notes as soon as memories of her father came back to the surface.

  
  


the only form of therapy that has ever worked regarding her father was the time tzuyu brought her to a church and lent her some daggers to throw at the walls. 

  
  


oh, and also that one time she showed her true form to a preacher and made him cry. that was fun, although the euphoria barely lasted.) 

  
  


"if you don't get to the point i just might accidentally crush your wings. and how will the precious little angel fly back to heaven without them?" 

  
  


the teasing glint in sana's eyes immediately disappears, as if water was thrown on the fire that animates her soul and forced her to face the seriousness of the situation. wings are the most treasured possession of an angel, after all. the pain nayeon still goes through today when she sees the two long scars on her back, evidence of who she once was, are enough to prove that. 

  
  


she remains motionless as nayeon pushes her against the wall one last time, a useless show of strength to someone like sana who knows exactly what she is capable of- her father probably had her study nayeon's case for years before sending her down here, no matter what the reason might be. gulping, sana watches as the devil decides she's had enough of playing with the predator that became prey, and takes a step back. her posture is still tense, and her hand closes around sana's wrist tightly when she glances around herself in search of a safe exit. there is none, and she knows confrontation is the only option.

  
  


it's a good thing sana knows exactly where to hit for her blows to hurt, and for the pain to remain engraved in the devil's skin. 

  
  


"you left hell, nayeon, and god never allowed you to do that. so i think you know what i came here for." her wings flutter behind herself, still hidden behind her back. "hell is not doing well without you- not that it was in good shape when you were still there, but he at least had someone to blame for its state. you're coming back."

  
  


fire flickers in nayeon's hand, reminding sana of an old memory. 

  
  


a day that will forever stay in history- when an angel rebelled herself and lost her wings, only to become the face of evil, and to let the same fire she had directed at her father engulf her until it became all she knew.

  
  


it also reminds sana of how different nayeon is now. because instead of throwing the fire growing in her palm to her chest, she closes her fist, and it disappears. ashes fly from her hand, and the smell of an extinguished fire reaches her nostrils. that's the perfume mina always notices, one that works better than any cologne would.

  
  


"come on, sana." nayeon sighs, brushing short hair back with a hand with red veins, fire coursing in her blood. "after all this time, you still believe that i'll give into my father's requests? i thought you knew me better than anyone, so tell me… what changed?" 

  
  


the _you_ stays silent, but it echoes loud in both of their minds, loud enough for nayeon to hear it clearly. she scoffs, brushing nonexistent wrinkles from her suit, and stares at sana intensely.

  
  


"you want me to go back to hell? sure. but i'll wish you good luck on that, because nothing will me convince me to come with you, and no fight you decide to put up will be enough to beat me." 

  
  


the angel doesn't move, watching as nayeon leaves in a parallel hallway, but the smirk that resides on her lips should be enough to let nayeon know not to consider herself done yet. 

  
  


(sana always believed she would be a better devil than nayeon anyway.)

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


it might be hard to believe, but there was a time when nayeon and sana were… a lot friendlier with each other. 

  
  


angels are pure, innocent, and all that matters to them is for heaven to be well-kept, and for god to be content with their work. sana had been like this too, once. respecting the rules that had been set centuries ago because that's what she was born to do, what her purpose in life had been all along. 

  
  


until she met nayeon, of course.

  
  


god had two daughters- nayeon, being the oldest one was usually in charge, the one everyone venerated and respected for her importance and wisdom. she would give orders, and they would all follow them. momo, her sister, had never been fond of doing as asked, and usually remained in her sister's shadow. that's certainly why no one could have expected the sudden turn of events that took place in heaven, the same ones that lead nayeon to be sent down to hell and asked to rule it, a banishment from the place she had grown up in that had always been seen as the most ruthless punishment god ever took. 

  
  


but sana would be lying if she pretended to be shocked by what happened. she had herself sinned with nayeon far too often not to know the perfect angel was definitely flawed.

  
  


"let's hurry before anyone notices, i have to pass by the gates soon, the flow of humans is a lot stronger this morning." sana whispers hurriedly against the base of her lovers' neck, interrupted by nayeon's lips settling over hers in a gentle kiss. 

  
  


any thoughts of work rush out of her mind as soon as an eager hand reaches her thighs, hiking up the snow-white dress all angels are required to wear. it isn't styled like nayeon's, hers made of gold linings and a softer silk material that feels like flowing water under sana's palms. but that's the last detail either of them think of at that moment, time going so much faster when they finally find some to spend together that for all they know, it will end as soon as their lips part. 

  
  


that's why they never do, refusing to let go of each other even when breathing becomes a necessity. sana and nayeon have flirted along the lines of danger ever since they knew each other, and nothing has changed. 

  
  


not even today as sana watches the devil from the clouds, waiting for the right moment to strike. nothing has changed, but everything did at the same time.

  
  


she can still feel it, the pull, one strong enough to make her forget about how different nayeon is now. it reminds her of their first days, of a time when all she saw in her was a friend she grew up with, and with whom she would be spending the rest of her life. until the lines they'd been dancing on blurred, and the urge to kiss nayeon had overwhelmed her so much that resisting it was not something she could consider anymore.

  
  


"mother says angels shouldn't fall in love. that our lives should be entirely dedicated to humans." sana had murmured against nayeon's collarbone, fingers beginning a dance of their own on her breasts, one that ended on the necklace that never left her neck. 

  
  


"father says the same. they're both wrong, sana, don't let them manipulate you into thinking we are." 

  
  


that was the first time sana heard someone dare to disagree with one of god's beliefs, and it had come from his daughter nonetheless. 

  
  


thinking back on it, sana realizes nayeon taught her everything she knows about just how good it feels, to let go of the chains a hierarchy everyone is eager to respect put around her mind, imprisoning her liberty to think freely. and when she had to watch as nayeon was made a demon and sent down to hell, sana remembers just how much she herself changed. 

  
  


heartbreak does that to someone, angel or not. 

  
  


"you'll understand why i did this someday. i hope you will." were the last words she had received from nayeon, and a few seconds later, she became the devil. 

  
  


nothing has changed, but everything did too.

  
  


today is different. sana has a mission god himself gave to her, and she will do everything she has to for it to be a success. one way or another, nayeon will come back home to face her wrongdoings, and sana will not let her go easily this time. 

  
  
  
  



	2. tying you to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to everyone who read the first chapter and left a kudos! 
> 
> this got a bit longer than planned, hope you'll like this one! :) 
> 
> (chapter title from invisible string)

the club is almost full when mina enters through its doors, her police badge enough to get the security guard to let her skip the long queue. she's never been a nightclub type of woman, but she understands why so many are interested in this place if all of the drinks here have been made by nayeon. if she were to agree on something with the so-called devil, it would be her very clear talents behind the bar- that and her great abilities when it comes to bringing her patience to its limits.

  
  


navigating through the dancing crowd is hard, bodies serving as barriers to her final goal, and that's without counting on the hands occasionally reaching for her. a strand of blonde hair stays glued to her forehead from the suffocating heat of the room, and she brushes it back behind her ear. but the hardest mission here will be for her to find nayeon in the messy crowd. especially since for all she knows, she might not even be here tonight.

  
  


it took her five calls to get an answer from the consultant’s phone, and when she did, a girl whose voice she did not recognize told her to pass by the club. mina is secretly hoping for her not to be as eccentric and exhausting as nayeon- that is, if she ever crosses her path tonight.

  
  


(and really, tzuyu isn’t as bad as her mentor once you get over the whole leather outfits and weapons she keeps strapped to her thighs. 

  
  


now, that does not mean the first impression most get of her is friendly. 

  
  


her role by nayeon’s side has always called for distrust of the unknown, because no matter what some might think, she long ago understood that no one would protect nayeon if it were not for her. and the promise she once silently made to give back everything nayeon had done for her is one that will surely last for numerous lifetimes.)

  
  


the music is loud, so loud that mina isn't sure she can even hear her inner voice clearly, and she knows she'll spend the rest of the night with an awful headache if she ever gets to sleep. she came here for a reason, after all. a lead on their most recent case, a murder in a lost area of tokyo, the body of a middle-aged man having been found in a house no one saw anyone entering or leaving. those cases can either be very easy, or stay unsolved for decades, and mina intends on it being the first option. and for this to happen, nayeon's odd way of helping is not something she can rule out.

  
  


looking around, blue and red lights momentarily blinding her every time she tries to catch a peak of the vip areas- that's where nayeon is most likely to be, after all- she only stops when she arrives by the bar, the ambiance there slightly calmer. 

  
  


"are you perhaps searching for someone?" a voice startles her, and mina wonders how it could sound so clear in her mind even with deafening music surrounding them. it sounds feminine, smoky, nothing like the angel-like face she finds when she turns around. 

  
  


the woman reminds her of nayeon. not that she's similar to her in any way, no, she actually looks like the exact contrary of everything the consultant represents. but there's a certain aura coming from her, may it be the smirk or the flame dancing in her eyes, that reminds mina of the supernatural aura she’s always felt around nayeon. the more nayeon insists on truly being the devil, the more mina falls for what she wishes would be lies but still sounds just as honest and real as it did the first time she heard them. 

  
  


it's as if she isn't entirely real, as if nayeon does not belong to their world, and the same feeling is currently growing in her chest, shudders coursing through her body and making mina pause.

  
  


staring at her, it feels as if they are both left suspended in time, the music replaced by an out of place silence, until the woman raises a curious eyebrow, taking a sip from the half-filled glass of white wine she's delicately holding. 

  
  


"y-yes." she coughs lightly in her hand, trying to calm her racing heart down. "yes, i am actually."

  
  


"not your usual kind of place, i suppose."

  
  


"do i look so out of my element here?" naturally, mina leans against the bar, and nayeon remains forgotten in the back of her mind. there's something in this mysterious woman's eyes that calls for her, and for a reason she's not yet able to decipher, mina chooses to give into the pleas of her subconscious. "is it the police badge, perhaps?"

  
  


that gets her to raise an eyebrow, eyes glancing down to the badge on her belt. and mina really needs to take some time to think about her flirting techniques, because the part about her being a cop should probably come after she's slept with the girl, definitely not before.

  
  


(not that she’s flirting, of course. that wouldn’t be professional, and she has not worked her way up after years of trying to become a lead detective to get distracted by a woman with a pretty smile and a hypnotizing gaze.)

  
  


it doesn't seem to bother the woman who simply smirks, bringing a hand to her belt and grabbing it gently, tugging it forward until mina is so much closer, and the heat so much more suffocating and warm. the detective can feel a blush rising on her cheeks as the room spins, only worsening her headache. 

  
  


it's pathetic, really, to let a stranger have such an effect on her. and perhaps nayeon was right when she told her- or more like offered- to get laid. not that she would ever spend the night with a woman whose name she still ignores, especially not one who frequents such a club- not that she looks like she belongs here at all. but there might have been some part of truth in there.

  
  


"i'd say it's the cute dimples, actually. but the badge certainly keeps some unwanted attention away. hopefully i'm not part of that."

  
  


mina doesn't answer. instead, she glances above sana when a flash of red appears in her vision. the vip area is full, patrons seemingly content with the night they're having, but they're not what mina notices. no, she only has eyes for the woman who insists on getting called the devil, nayeon currently staring daggers at someone. 

  
  


it takes a few seconds for her to understand that this someone is the same woman she has very recently encountered. 

  
  


"looks like i found who i was searching for. sorry…" 

  
  


"sana." 

  
  


"sana." 

  
  


mina is still looking at nayeon as she says her name then, and she remains motionless when the woman- sana's, she now knows- hand settles on her waist. her hold is short-lasting, and yet feels like a soft punch to her guts, one that doesn’t hurt and feels almost playfully light, but that forces something to shift inside of her, something she was not even aware existed.

  
  


it's odd, but at this moment, mina can feel the tension rising until it becomes hard for her to breath normally. it's almost like the choice she is faced with will have much more consequences than she could imagine- to either go to nayeon, the soft red velvet of her suit taking most of her attention as red and blue lights dance along her cheek to form a purple halo, or to sana, the woman who seems very keen on keeping her company for the night, and who could very well have a halo of her own hanging over her head.

  
  


next to her, sana has stopped breathing entirely, time suspended as it asks for her to make a choice.

  
  


the thing is, mina has never been good at choosing. and this, nayeon and sana will discover soon enough.

  
  


"do you have a phone number?" finally looking away from nayeon, mina pats her back pockets, in search of the modern device her colleagues got for her recently- the old excuse of a phone she used before was definitely not doing it anymore. 

  
  


sana grabs it to type in her number as soon as mina hands it to her. "now, i know i was joking when i said you didn't seem like the type to come here, but have you gotten your pretty nose out of a book recently or is that something you've never done?"

  
  


"w-what do you mean?" 

  
  


sana chuckles, handing her back the phone. "nothing. now go, and call me when you're done with the devil."

  
  


that's the first time mina saw sana. 

  
  


and quite like nayeon, she had no idea of just how important she would later become.

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


"this woman you were talking with at the club, don't approach her." 

  
  


they have been waiting in the patrol car for two hours now, the cold of the night forcing shudders through her body. nayeon has not once showed any signs of being cold and has long ago lent mina her jacket. the velvet feels soft under her palms, and she notices the unusual warmth it brings to her. it feels as if nayeon was able to make it as warm as a thick winter coat by simply wearing it.

  
  


the mood has been rather tense, and mina has definitely noticed that. she had a feeling it had to do with the mysterious woman at the club when nayeon glared at sana while tugging her away, her grip oddly tight, and it didn’t take long for her partner to address the situation.

  
  


"and what makes you think i'll listen to you? we're not friends, nayeon, in case you forgot." 

  
  


the silence that follows her words almost makes her believe that the consultant will give up. 

  
  


almost, that is.

  
  


"she’s a serial killer." nayeon says- more like whispers actually, her voice low from the shame of the lie she's using. it's hard to believe, but there are times when she herself is ashamed of her own doings. and it so happened that tonight was one of those self reflecting nights her therapist- tzuyu- told her she needed to have.

  
  


"what are you talking about? if sana was a serial killer i would know, i’m the detective here.”

  
  


“you don’t know about it because, well, she doesn’t kill humans but… frogs. yeah,” nayeon nods, eyes empty as she fights against the urge to cringe at her own lie. “frogs.”

  
  


“a frog serial killer?”

  
  


“yup, that’s… exactly what she is.”

  
  


after a few days of working by her side, nayeon has learned a lot about mina’s personality. today, she knows that the detective loves doing manual activities more than her own daughter- the flower necklaces hanging on the doors of every office of the station was the biggest clue she got. she knows that mina almost never drinks alcohol unless nayeon invites her to try out one of her new creations, and that she obsessively washes her hands every time someone touches her. 

  
  


recently, she learned that mina has not dated anyone in years, and that her voice is not only low and soft when it’s just the two of them but also in a room filled with officers waiting for her instructions. but the most important thing nayeon has learned and swore to never forget is that look, the one mina is currently staring at her with.

  
  


it could mean so much for it simply looks like the expression one would take after having to deal with the exasperating woman that she is, but a few weeks ago, nayeon realized there was more to it.

  
  


a certain fondness, if she were to describe it, that comes from amusement but also a clear irritation caused by her behavior. that’s exactly how mina is looking at her right now, an eyebrow slightly raised, and the corner of her lips twitching upwards.

  
  


“i know you’re lying. i mean, that literally is part of my job.”

  
  


"right.” nayeon sighs, not even trying to continue with her lie. sometimes, even the devil has to take a step back to take in the absurd situation she created, and she has long ago learned not to hide anything from mina. nothing has ever been the same since mina found out about the revolver she tried to steal in the station’s armory no more than a second after she’d believed her plan to be successful.

  
  


the previous silence might have been one of reflection, but this one comes from judgement- and the stare mina throws at her makes that clear.

  
  


“i feel like you’ve made it a mission to get on my nerves tonight.”

  
  


and it might not seem like it, but that truly was not her intentions at all.

  
  


"look, mina, you might not consider me a friend yet, but believe me when i say i'm only saying this for your own good." nayeon sighs, foam forming on the window from her breath. her eyes go over the street they're supposed to be paying attention to, and mina can see her face in the rearview mirror. never had she seen a truly annoyed nayeon before, and in that moment, she thinks she doesn't want it to become an habitual thing. 

  
  


"i really want to get to know her."

  
  


nayeon’s jaw tightens and she takes a sip from the warm coffee she got for the both of them earlier. the dim light of the car adds to the honesty she can read in her features. it makes mina want to reach for her hand. so she does just that.

  
  


"i care about you, you know." nayeon adds, accepting mina's hand in hers. 

  
  


the warmth coming from her hold sets on fire the ice-cold blood coursing through mina’s veins. it's a delicate fire, one that reminds her of the old days, when her father brought her to his cabin by the woods and they spent the night warming their hands in front of the fireplace, overcooked marshmallows crispy under her teeth. it soothes an ache mina was not even aware of. she’s not sure she likes it.

  
  


not because the memory is not a fond one, but because she has long ago understood why nayeon appears to be so interested in her.

  
  


"i'm not sleeping with you." 

  
  


"that is 

what i was thinking of at all!" nayeon turns to face her, the tip of her ears red, and she looks so shocked that mina would almost believe her.

"you kinda were, though." 

  
  


nayeon scoffs, and mina reaches for her hand again, this time not intending on letting go- there's always the risk of nayeon throwing a tantrum, but she hopes for it not to be the case. they're supposed to be working here, after all. and for all she knows, the suspect could have very well passed by the street they are waiting in front of minutes ago. 

  
  


someone reaches for the radio and turns the volume up, a soft jazz music filling the car. 

  
  


"i kinda was, yeah."

  
  


mina doesn't regret the choice she made, in the end. 

  
  


even when the suspect never comes, and nayeon starts snoring lightly next to her. it's the most entertaining and romantic night she's experienced in a long time. 

  
  


and she never let go of nayeon's hand.

  
  


(she never really stopped thinking of sana either. but it's too soon for her to think much of that anyway.)

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“have you made progress?” a soft voice startles sana, her wings fluttering behind her back as she turns to face the intruder. the spot she chose in a small park was meant to allow her a night of rest, far away from nayeon, from mina, and from the confusing cloud hanging over her head. and there is no better place for that than the soft cotton clouds of heaven.

  
  


but it seems momo had a different idea.

  
  


“your sister is not as compliant as you are, unfortunately. i’m starting to think this won’t work, not if she’s given a choice.” sana refuses to look at momo, perhaps because she knows that god’s other daughter could probably read the lies directly from her eyes. “i’m trying my hardest, i swear.”

  
  


momo remains silent, staring up at the sky and the soft stars dancing on its dark canvas. that usually is never a good sign.

  
  


“look, sana, father might not be aware of your past with nayeon but i am. so, i’m not entirely sure of what motivated you to take this mission, not when you know what you’re risking.” momo sighs, and sana finally dares to meet her eyes. “but i hope you’ll be happy, whatever you choose to do. if it is with the devil herself or with a human… that only is for you to decide.”

  
  


somehow, it feels like the stars momo took a short moment to observe have fallen down into sana’s eyes to reappear as the soft tears streaming down her face. 

  
  


“what if it’s here instead?” she asks, and her question does not sound like one, the answer already more than obvious.

  
  


“i think we both know it’s not.”

  
  


when momo disappears shortly after, sana dries the wet tears on her cheeks and comes to terms with something she never thought she would be able to put words onto. 

  
  


she spends the rest of the night admiring the edelweiss flowers covering the ground, silently noticing how they lose all of their beauty without someone by her side to admire them with.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


"what are you trying to do with mina?" 

  
  


the red color of her drink almost makes it look like sana is drinking blood, and nayeon would not be surprised to find out that she is. she remembers the exact day sana let go of the purity of her angel nature to embrace the flames she herself was responsible of creating. perhaps this is what it feels like, to create a demon and watch it surpass its master. 

  
  


the long red dress she's wearing is made of silk, an exact replica of the ones nayeon was forced to wear in heaven but in an entirely different color. one that could mean so much, from anger to unnatural feelings for a devil, that shel would rather not think of it too much.

  
  


"mina?" sana still ignores her presence, staring by the windows of the nightclub as she leans back against the bar. it's the middle of the day, early enough for patrons of the previous night to still lay passed out on the couches of the vip area, but late enough for the security guards to need to kick them out very soon. "oh, you mean that pretty angel i met here yesterday? what a sweet little thing."

  
  


"i know you're still missing a few codes on how humans work, but mina is not a 

, in case you didn't notice." the pause that nayeon marks right after a flurry of feelings she is far from being familiar with takes over her mind says a lot about how unnatural such words are coming from her. sana does not seem to notice. 

  
  


"look, nayeonnie-" the glare she receives makes her gulp, and she finishes her drink in a single last sip. "what makes you think you should be the only one having some fun here? i just arrived, i'm simply trying to make a few friends, you know, to make my presence on earth seem a bit more… plausible, i suppose." 

  
  


nayeon doesn't react, and sana wonders if she might have hit a nerve a bit too strongly. a screaming nayeon threatening to put her in flames is actually not as intimidating as she now looks, her glare burning everything it encounters. so when sana tenses, she must certainly feel it.

  
  


taking a step closer to her, nayeon traps the angel between the counter and her body, the sunlight that previously illuminated the room reduced to an imposing darkness. this, this is what the devil looks like when her temper reaches its limit.

  
  


it really is unfortunate that sana had forgotten just how vulnerable she is to the devil, just how weak an angel is next to the woman who incarnates darkness and the evils of this world in every aspect.

  
  


"not to seem like one of those heroes in bad action movies but," one of her hands settles right next to sana's shoulder, a finger close enough to brush her ice-cold skin. they both know fire and ice have never been a great combination- for either of them, that is. "hurt her, and i'll chase you down to wherever i need to and make you understand why my threat was serious all along. you’re lucky that i’m tolerating your presence here on earth as it is, so don’t push it.”

  
  


sana remains quiet, watching as nayeon decides to hold her stare until she gets bored and chooses to let her go, quite like a cat would toy with a mouse. it's all about finding out if nayeon is hungry or not, after all. 

  
  


turning back to grab her purse on the bar, sana stands to her full height and gets even closer to nayeon, chests almost pressed to each other. 

  
  


"i'd like to see you try. i always loved a good game of hide and seek." 

  
  


sana avoids the fireball nayeon launches at her by chance. it's a good thing angels heal fast, and the burning sensation on her arm where it grazed her skin fades after a few minutes.

  
  


that's what she meant, when she said that loving nayeon had been made of an undeniable danger. 

  
  


she never once regretted it. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


mina texts sana on that same night, asking if she's available for a few drinks.

  
  


sana is thinking of nayeon when she agrees.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


the bar mina chose almost looks too chic for her. sure, she used to come here often before and has never been the type to follow her fellow officers for a beer in greasy bars of tokyo, but this was years ago, and she's changed a lot.

  
  


first of all, she had a boyfriend back then. and coming here for dates and anniversaries seemed almost correct- although restaurants would have been her personal favorite, but he always complained about everything, from the politeness of the waiters to the too expensive wine. it ruined the mood far too fast. 

  
  


today, there is no boyfriend she is pretending to be in love with sitting next to her, but a literal angel. 

  
  


it's intimidating, surprising for her who had always refused any invitation to spend the night out in order to look after nari. but when she loses herself in light brown orbs, all she feels is a sense of safety and power. 

  
  


her nerves tense as she watches sana order for the both of them. mina is torn between wanting the ground to swallow her whole and hide her from the gracious beauty that is sana, and acknowledging how lucky she is to be spending the evening with such a woman. she opts for the second option- not by choice, but most certainly because when sana's hand settles on her pantsuit clad thigh and refuses to leave for the rest of the night, she's not cohesive enough anymore to think properly.

  
  


it's a good thing sana does most of the talking anyway. 

  
  


there were times when mina felt like she would never be able to find someone else again, all of this after her boyfriend left her with a daughter to take care of and a repulsion to any kind of relationship. most of that came from her inability to socialize much, the safety of the bubble she stayed wrapped in with her daughter so much more appealing. 

  
  


but sana is different, her smile makes her lose any coherent trail of thoughts and her words have the power of a sweet poem on her heart. she genuinely looks so interested in finding out about her life, no matter how boring it might be, that all of her doubts and insecurities fly away in a second.

  
  


"i'm not really used to… all of this, actually. but you probably knew that already.”

  
  


mirth shines in sana's eyes, sparkles that fall down over mina every time she blinks. it makes it hard for her to hold eye contact, and her gaze lowers down to the glass of rosé sana chose for her. it tastes sweet, and she supposes it's the perfect word to describe this evening. so utterly sweet and soothing to the scars left scattered around her heart. 

  
  


"i had a feeling, yes." sana laughs then, and mina laughs too- she doesn't know why, but quite like paper would burn under the sun, something about the angel-like woman consumes her whole. "and as surprising as that might be, i'm not very used to this either." 

  
  


looking up from her drink in surprise, mina feels almost relieved to know sana is not used to seducing women with weak hearts like hers and using them for her own pleasure. relieved to know sana has nothing in common with nayeon, actually. 

  
  


"this is my first time going out with a girl, to be honest with you. that's how you say it, right? going out? i learned it from an old friend but with her, i never know if what she's teaching me is offensive or not."

  
  


mina chuckles, bringing her own hand to settle over sana's on her thigh. "it's not offensive at all, don't worry. it’s just hard to believe someone as pretty as you is just as lost as i am about how this should go.”

  
  


“pretty?” sana’s tone is higher, an amused but nonetheless flattered smile gracing blushing features. 

  
  


“well, i mean, you’re very… nice to be around.”

  
  


hiding behind her glass, mina takes a deep sip from her drink, the alcohol she’s not used to consuming burning her throat along with her cheeks. this is what she meant when she said she’s not used to going out.

  
  


“i’m really happy to know you’re enjoying your time with me as much as i am.” sana squeezes her hand gently, and it feels like the part of herself that first shifted during their first meeting is finally reaching its final form.

  
  


mina does not yet understand that this unknown part corresponds to her heart. 

  
  


she never let go of sana’s hand.

  
  


the rest of the evening passes by in a blurr, and when the moment comes for them to part ways, sana is ever the gentlewoman, calling a taxi for her. mina would not know how to explain it, this feeling of warmth and safety that resides in her heart when around sana, but something about the woman almost makes it seem like she got herself a guardian angel more than a potential girlfriend.

  
  


it might be a bit of both, for all she knows.

  
  


in the taxi, she watches the moving city and its shades of pink, and her palm tickles as she imagines sana's hand still holding hers. as delicate as the sweet scent of jasmine that seems to follow her around, a clear contrast to nayeon's.

  
  


(she never really stopped thinking of nayeon either. but it's too soon for her to think much of that.)

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


"i got you donuts, heard that's a cop thing." 

  
  


mina looks up from the screen of her laptop to find a wide box of pink donuts waiting for her, nayeon proudly smiling down at her. the donuts are matching with her outfit of the day, the light pink suit she's wearing surprising the detective. not that nayeon's fashion choices should ever surprise her anymore- not when she once came to work in a three piece suit and a bowtie, treating the station as some kind of red carpet no more than three days ago.

  
  


"first of all, that's a cliché. second of all, i'm trying to diet."

  
  


"oh, so that's what the salads were for? i thought you just had bad tastes, that would have made a lot more sense." and the look nayeon gives her, eyes clearly judging the dark green shirt she chose this morning, causes her to roll her eyes. "now you're wearing green and me pink, and we don't match at all. how are the suspects going to know we are an efficient and perfectly synced team if we're not matching." 

  
  


"we are not a team, nayeon. nor are we dating, in case that wasn't clear."

  
  


"yet…" nayeon corrects, grabbing an orange on mina's desk as she abandons the donuts, and beginning to peel it as she takes a seat on her now reserved place- the edge of the same desk mina is trying to work on. the sound of her fingertips hitting the keyboard of her laptop slowly dies down as she pauses to glare at the consultant. 

  
  


"nayeon…"

  
  


"look, mina." nayeon places the half-peeled fruit on her desk and turns to face mina properly, sighing as if she had anything to be tired of. "you and i both know we'll end up sleeping together at some point, and that is nothing to be ashamed of! look at me, i'm living perfectly well while knowing it's going to happen one day or another. it's easy, really."

  
  


it isn't clear if the blush that spreads up to her ears is one of embarrassment or of anger, but nayeon decides she likes the color red a lot on mina. it has always been her signature, after all. 

  
  


and before the detective can kick her out of her office, standing up to seem taller- and certainly a lot more intimidating- someone knocks on her office door, interrupting them.

  
  


"yes?" mina asks, expecting it to be dahyun or chief park considering other officers rarely visit her office whenever nayeon is there. reality is actually very different from that.

  
  


when the door opens to reveal sana, an almost supernatural glow surrounding her, they both have completely different and yet very similar reactions. 

  
  


mina is, simply put, out of words. that's what one goes through when a woman as beautiful as sana visits you, holding a large bouquet of white roses, a few pink ones giving it a slightly more colorful feeling. but the flowers are not what she sees first, no. it's the consuming brightness of her smile, the soft pink on her cheeks, the stars residing in her eyes and looking so much more impressive than the night sky itself. 

  
  


it's the warmth that envelops her in its arms, a soft embrace she knows would have nothing on sana's actual hugs. hugs she thinks are going to be hard not to think about from now on.

  
  


and really, nayeon could only agree with the detective when she herself is reminded of a distant past she had previously gotten over. of a time when sana was the temptation and she was the one begging to get a taste of freedom and love from her lips. not much has changed in appearances. sana is wearing a white dress with lacy edges, and nayeon can not help but trail her eyes down her figure in pure admiration, reminded of who she once was- the pretty angel who lived next door, the woman she fell for. 

  
  


but somewhere in her admiration lies a feeling she's not sure she should ever be experiencing. 

  
  


"sorry to bother you, i was passing by and wondered if you perhaps wanted to get lunch with me?" 

  
  


jealousy. 

  
  


in all of her life, may it be in heaven, hell or even earth, nayeon has never experienced such a feeling. it's so human, so far away from what a devil should feel, the only sin she never gave into. 

  
  


it makes her lungs burn, ashes flooding her chest and keeping her from breathing properly. but most importantly, it makes fire course through her veins, her temper nearly uncontrollable and only getting worse with each step sana takes in the office.

  
  


"mina is busy, come back… well, never actually." 

  
  


"w-what?" mina finally seems to be getting back to herself, an uncontrollable euphoric smile still on her lips. "no, i can definitely take a break to share lunch with you."

  
  


"no, you can't, because we're both very busy with solving this case about… someone dying, right now." 

  
  


and really, if mina were to look at nayeon, she would see just how serious she is and also why she's doing this. but she doesn't, not immediately at least, instead walking around her desk to accept the bouquet with a light blush. 

  
  


"aren't you the owner of a nightclub? i'm sure you could use a break as well, you know, to take care of the drunken patrons still left in your establishment." sana says, the innocence of an angel shining in her eyes.

  
  


nayeon takes a deep calming breath that fails in fulfilling its purpose and her eyes turn red, the deep brown humans usually lose themselves in now replaced by a color that would attract fear and death. and sana can see her behind mina's shoulder, because although her body language makes it seem like the detective is who she's paying attention to, her eyes are betraying her. 

  
  


no one ever escapes the devil's grasp. not even the purest of angels- and sana is far from being one of this kind. 

  
  


"mina and i are partners."

  
  


"oh, really? that's odd because she told me you two weren't close." 

  
  


nayeon's jaw tightens, and so does her hold on the desk, the scent of burning wood filling the room. "at least she told you about me. with how little i know about you, it feels like she doesn't care much for you."

  
  


the glaring contest that starts between the two ends as soon as mina pulls the flowers away from her face to get a clearer look at what's going on between the two women. by then, they're both looking away from each other, nayeon sulking and sana's smile now looking more forced than honest. 

  
  


she sighs, rolling her eyes, and walks back to her desk to grab her handbag and coat.

  
  


"if you're done sulking you can always eat with us."

  
  


and nayeon is not about to pass on such an offer. not when mina is inviting her from her own will, and especially not when she sees how sana's smile drops as soon as she agrees. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


lunch is a difficult matter.

  
  


nayeon and sana fight to sit in the front of mina's car next to her, until she decides she's had enough and asks them to play rock paper scissors to decide. it works with nari, and with how childish the both of them are acting, this is probably the best thing she could think of. nayeon loses, and pouts for the entire ride, sulking in the back as mina and sana discuss their plans for their next date.

  
  


"a restaurant is so lame, what a loser." nayeon mumbles, hoping for sana to hear her but for mina to miss her remarks. 

  
  


and god might be rooting for her today, which is surprising considering her father has probably already wished for her death before, because mina stays oblivious to the situation, humming to a popular pop song as she drives. it's cute, kinda, and nayeon's arrogant smirk quickly transforms into a genuine smile.

  
  


sana sees it in the rearview mirror. she doesn't comment on it.

  
  


nayeon and sana fight again to know who will be opening the door to her at the restaurant. and for the place next to her at the table they choose- which results in mina forcing them to sit right next to each other. and then again, when mina asks if she should choose a salad or beef and both have a very different and strong opinion on the question.

  
  


and then comes the moment during which mina has to leave them on their own for a short trip to the restroom. the perfect occasion for old friends to discuss a few alarming issues, actually.

  
  


"if someone ever told me the devil would fall for a human's charms, i would have laughed until my wings fell off." is the very first thing sana says, biting in a sweet cherry as a waiter brings them dessert. 

  
  


"i'm the devil, sana. i don't fall for their charms, they fall for mine." 

  
  


"always the arrogant jerk, i see."

  
  


"you used to like it, from what i can remember." nayeon's whiskey glass hides her smirk, but sana knows it's here nonetheless. "a lot, at that." 

  
  


"still not over me, i see. i get it, i really do. but i would at least expect the two women you spent your night with to have helped, not for you to accidentally moan my name-"

  
  


"i did 

do anything of the sort!" nayeon half-yells, standing from her chair and glaring down at the angel. the restaurant falls quiet, everyone watching with renewed attention, waiting for sana to do something. 

  
  


but she doesn't. 

  
  


not immediately at least. and it only is a few seconds later that nayeon realizes time has slowed down, the room suddenly stuck between reality and a distorted version of time. 

  
  


"i think we should talk."

  
  


"there's nothing for us to talk about actually. unless you want to discuss how obsessed you are with me, which is good enough proof of just how much of a sinner you are. falling for the devil, how sad." 

  
  


sana is still sitting, refusing to face nayeon, and it drives the devil crazy with frustration. she steals the cherry from the top of nayeon's own dessert choice, and rolls it between her thumb and forefinger before placing it on her tongue. it's a sweet devil-like temptation, and if eve had been given a cherry instead of an apple, she would have certainly not even needed for the snake to try and push her toward the forbidden fruit.

  
  


she sighs then, as if tired of the discussion she knows she and nayeon are about to have. 

  
  


"not as sad as the devil falling for a human." the angel chuckles darkly, looking to her left at a still standing nayeon. "i mean, really nayeon? you were torturing them in hell not long ago, and now you're suddenly threatening an old friend's life over one of them? how utterly pathetic of you."

  
  


"i did not fall for her." 

  
  


and really, nayeon believes her own words then. love is not a sin, and that's certainly why she has never been interested in it, at least not since she became the face of all evils. lust, this she knows and has embraced on far too many occasions, but love is something entirely different, more pure, more real and honest. 

  
  


love is everything she lost along with her wings. 

  
  


"yet. not yet, nayeon. but what happens when you do, hm? you're changing. i thought i lost who you once were long ago, but this, this new version of yourself that is ready to fight for a human… you remind me of a friend- of a lover i once had."

  
  


“what do you want, sana?” nayeon’s hold on the chair tightens, and in that moment, sana knows she’s right. the devil might have embraced all of the sins she was made to represent, but lying has never been her forte. and in the red of her eyes, she sees the truth, bared and glowing with honesty for her to understand. “because i’m not sure you’re trying to bring me back to hell anymore.”

  
  


“what i want has never mattered to you anyway.” looking away from the two red suns rising in nayeon’s eyes, sana sighs, a sad smile gracing her features. “it was always about you and your dreams, and about leaving me behind when things got too serious because you were a coward, nayeon. and i’m sorry to see that hasn’t changed in the slightest.”

  
  


somewhere between the blurred lines of time, nayeon is reminded of her past, of who she once was, the angel that had yet to fall. 

  
  


it’s in those moments that she remembers a feeling she’s not sure she’s ever truly tasted since then. may it be love or happiness, may it be because one allowed her to feel the other, nothing has been the same since then. being sent down to hell for speaking out on her beliefs had been such a ruthless punishment that the burns it left in its wake have yet to have faded. and yet, nayeon had misinterpreted those scars all along for they did not originate from her time in hell, from the fallen angel she had become, but from the angel she had left behind.

  
  


an angel who, it seems, has not yet forgiven her.

  
  


“there were so many ways to get close to me, you could have just followed me everywhere i went if you so wished to and i would have heard you just the same. so, why mina?”

  
  


sana chuckles, her smile still refusing to reach her eyes. reaching for a napkin, she wipes the red stains the cherry left on her fingers diligently, as if wiping blood from her hands. “someday, you’ll understand that the world does not revolve around you.”

  
  


time starts flowing again, nayeon left speechless by sana's words. 

  
  


mina comes back from the restroom right after, oblivious to the entire situation, and watches as nayeon walks out of the restaurant with her pink jacket in hand.

  
  


"what happened?" 

  
  


sana simply brings nayeon's dessert in front of herself and reaches for a spoon. 

  
  


"an emergency at the club. but it's alright, we can finish this together anyway."

  
  


for a while, mina looks lost in thoughts, pensive as she stares at the same door nayeon just walked out from. and no matter how surprising that might be, sana feels like the mood is tense now, like a piece of the puzzle is missing and time is still slow, not able to go back to the way it was until it is complete again.

  
  


"sure."

  
  


mina barely smiles again for the rest of her break.

  
  


and sana knows why, deep down. 

  
  


because above anything, falling for the devil is something she knows better than anyone. something she can see in someone's soul as clear as she would in a mirror.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


nayeon is nowhere to be seen when she arrives back at the station.

  
  


mina spends the rest of her day eating donuts and glancing at her phone, waiting for something- for someone.

  
  


nothing ever comes. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


the soft thud of heels sounds almost like a clock, forcing the devil to be aware of time- a concept immortality has almost entirely taken away from her.

  
  


there was no sense of time in hell. only burning souls and demons getting on her nerves, eternally. clocks were replaced by the repetitive sound of a flogger, music by the screams of those nayeon was in charge of caring for, and really, everything was so much more peaceful sometimes. not that she misses hell in any way, no. she simply thinks time makes everything so much more urgent and unpleasant. 

  
  


that's exactly why she throws a pillow at tzuyu to get her to stop.

  
  


"i know you like your new shoes but can we please focus on the therapy session you are supposed to be giving to me?" nayeon leans back on the red leather couch of tzuyu's quarters, half-empty glass of scotch in her hand. "i have issues. serious, divine issues."

  
  


the demon sighs, reluctantly taking a seat in front of nayeon. her irritation certainly comes from the fact that she did not agree to this in the first place, never fond of handling things the emotional way. if someone or something is bothering nayeon, then she’s sure it could be ruled by a few kicks and some blood, but she has to follow orders. and when nayeon threatened to scare chaeyoung away, that was enough to get the demon to cower in fear and give into her petulant pleas. 

  
  


"if we're gonna do this, i want you to ignore i exist for the next week or so. i have urgent… friend duties to attend."

  
  


"oh, are you and your little girlfriend going on a holiday?" and for the first time in months, nayeon genuinely looks interested in her plans. it had to be the only time tzuyu wishes the devil would not care. "a holiday i am paying for, i suppose."

  
  


"do you want therapy or not?"

  
  


her smirk immediately dies down, and she straightens on the couch, suddenly tense. 

  
  


"sana seems to think- and wait until you find out what because it's actually a very funny joke- that… i have feelings for mina." the last part of her sentence is barely audible, pronounced in a rush and cut off by nayeon erupting in loud- and obviously forced- laughter. 

  
  


she only stops laughing when she realizes tzuyu stays emotionless in front of her, simply playing with the pen nayeon forced her to hold- for the whole therapist look, she said. a few seconds of a heavy silence follow her small outburst, and nayeon has to look away in shame. there's always been something about tzuyu that intimidated her, and a single look is usually enough to get her to stop.

  
  


that's certainly why she chose her to fill in the role of her new therapist- she went to see a new one yesterday but that did not go well. to her defense, she's never been able to resist a pretty girl in a red dress.

  
  


"i think your reaction is very telling of how you're feeling, actually."

  
  


"how are you so good at this already? i'm the one who slept with my therapist, not you." 

  
  


"nayeon…"

  
  


"ok, sorry, i know." nayeon stands up, walking around the room absentmindedly. her mind is a mess- not that that's shocking to anyone- and she's starting to wonder if earth has not taken a toll on her. sure, she used to be devilish and to torture humans to her liking, whereas she now is slightly less devilish, and only guides humans toward sins instead of punishing them for it. but was that such a great bargain if it means she now is slightly more fucked up, and losing control over her own emotions? 

  
  


"i'll ask you one, very simple question, and i want you to answer it truthfully." nayeon nods, her back still facing tzuyu as she pauses in front of the window to observe the dark night sky. "would you ever hurt mina?" 

  
  


"what kind of question is-"

  
  


the glare she receives as soon as she turns around makes her pause, biting her lip to prevent her own rage from exploding as well as her words to be misleading. tzuyu notes something down on the notebook nayeon gave her, and her fist clenches, wondering what that might be. 

  
  


"answer the question, nayeon."

  
  


"of course not." 

  
  


and really, that would seem like the answer expected from anyone. unless the person that’s being interrogated is a serial killer, a psychopath, or even the devil. and it so happens that nayeon fits the role of one of those three, if not more. 

  
  


in the end, that's the problem. 

  
  


humans used to beg on their knees for her to give them mercy. and when she refused to give in, she used to do so with the pleasure of evil coursing through her veins and feelings as sweet on her tongue as the alcohol humans are fond of. 

  
  


that is what’s expected of the devil. 

  
  


she knows it, and so does tzuyu.

  
  


“how about another question?” nayeon asks, already on edge. her fingers twitch with every breath she takes as she fights against the urge to burn something along with herself, wondering if that would work in desensitizing her own heart. 

  
  


“do you still have feelings for sana?”

  
  


when the couch suddenly erupts in flames, a suffocating heat taking over the room to replace the previous tension, the demon simply stands from her seat, hands nayeon the notebook, and leaves her alone to face her own demons. (or angels, that is.)

  
  


nayeon stares into the fire for long minutes, watching as it destroys everything it touches, curtains of flames keeping her trapped in her own misery until she turns her back to the heat.

  
  


"am i a bad devil?" she asks to her reflection in the window. the horns are back on top of her head, and her eyes are a shining red, a color that spreads on her skin until her face is entirely crimson. this used to be her true nature, what she lived for, and now, now she feels bad about the simple thought of having to kick a puppy. 

  
  


and when her eyes slip shut, hiding the face of the devil from her, she can almost hear sana whispering in her ear.

  
  


  
  


"i'll prove to you that i haven't changed in the slightest, angel." 

  
  


but before anything else, nayeon ought to prove this to herself. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“i can do this.” nayeon takes a deep breath, cracking her knuckles as she stretches her arms and wrists. from the outside, it certainly looks like she’s getting ready to run a marathon or for a box match, “i can definitely do this. right?”

  
  


a tired sighs reaches her ears, tzuyu folding her arms as she stares at nayeon with boredom clear in her eyes. “do you want my friend answer or my therapist answer?”

  
  


nayeon pauses in her actions, arms falling back down to her sides. “i thought i told you i clearly do not need therapy anymore. friend one it is.”

  
  


“you’re still in love with sana and you’re falling for mina, therefore i do not think you will succeed.”

  
  


nayeon blinks, staring at the demon with disbelief. the set up she insisted on needing for the scene she came up with forces bright lights onto her face, and she narrows her eyes, sighing. there are two cameras ready to film her- she’s not sure about which one of her side profiles looks the best today and simply chose not to take risks- and lights directed straight at the center of the table, half-blinding her.

  
  


“did i not ask for you to be my friend?” nayeon walks closer to the red table, staring down at the white fluffy puppy peacefully sitting over it, panting slightly as it curiously stares at her. “a friend is supposed to lie and support me!”

  
  


“oh, my bad.” tzuyu sighs, rolling her eyes. “you hate sana and you’re obviously not falling for mina. still think you’ll fail though.”

  
  


“just, turn the cameras on when i ask.”

  
  


the next few minutes are just as uneventful, nayeon walking around the table and pretending to prepare herself for a fight. this is all because of her, tzuyu thinks. she should have never told her she would never be able to kick a puppy anymore, not when it would obviously lead nayeon to trying to prove her wrong. now here she is, having cancelled a painting date with chaeyoung to watch nayeon clearly fall for the cute puppy. 

  
  


because of course that’s how it would go. of course nayeon would start crying right before her hand could come anywhere close to the fluffy creature to bring it in a tight hug, tzuyu already reaching for each of the cameras to delete the footage she definitely will not be sending to sana. 

  
  


and when she walks out of the room a few minutes later, no evidence of this moment of weakness nayeon showed remaining, the devil is laying on the floor, puppy on her chest as she playfully barks at it.

  
  


“such a good boy, you’re gonna stay with me now, aren’t you?” 

  
  


(months later, tzuyu is busy picking up the mess kookeu leaves behind himself around the club and she has long ago learned to carry earphones with herself- just in case nayeon starts barking at him. she’s been doing that a lot more often than most would think.

  
  


and although she’ll never admit to that, she herself kind of developed a soft spot for the puppy.)

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


the next best thing nayeon comes up with to let sana know of just how serious she is about being the devil is an outfit change. 

  
  


the detective is now very much used to arriving at work to find her office vandalized- by nayeon, of course- and it took her a while, but it barely bothers her anymore. it started with the police cordon, then went on with her spending some quality time with the same medical examiner she very frequently flirts with on her couch and for all she knows, the last time something happened concerned nayeon trying to sell cannabis to an officer who seemed tense. she still to this day believes that his nervousness came from being cornered by the slightly crazy consultant, no matter what nayeon insists on.

  
  


but today, her office is in perfect shape. there's another box of donuts waiting for her on the desk, and she supposes she was not as discreet as she'd believed the first time she ate nayeon's gift entirely. it's quiet and not a thing is out of place, the disorder she had expected nowhere to be seen.

  
  


no, what makes mina pause in the entrance is something else entirely. 

  
  


"what happened to the suits?" 

  
  


and really, to say that she's in shock would be an understatement. if her blush is caused by the long slit of nayeon's dark red dress, her eyes following it up her leg until they land on visibly soft skin right above her knee, or by the light and yet noticeable cleavage that reveals even softer skin mina would have usually never thought of, she does not know. her grip tightens on the doorknob, and she gulps. as if it is the only thing keeping her grounded, keeping her from dropping down on her knees and venerating the goddess that appeared in front of her. 

  
  


the vibrant red lipstick makes the devil's smirk so much deadlier that mina feels as if she can read through her soul, like she knows about each and every unwelcomed thought going through her mind.

  
  


and really, mina is starting to wonder if nayeon is not the actual devil with how hard it is for her to resist the temptation of her lips. 

  
  


straightening invisible wrinkles on her coat, she breathes deeply, the powerful scent that always follows nayeon getting to her head in an instant. it's rich, as consuming as a fire no mere human could ever control. flames only the devil could breathe.

  
  


"have i not already told you i can do both, detective?" her eyes could be red for all mina knows, the color omnipresent in her office now. and when she blinks, trying to chase away the tempting image of nayeon, she is greeted by the same color taking over her mind instead of darkness. it's as if nayeon figured out a way to reside in her every thoughts, and refuses to let her escape the trap she is stuck in. "if i had known that's what kept you from giving into your desires of me all along i would have done this much sooner."

  
  


but of course, nayeon always ought to bring her back down to earth with her smart and incredibly maddening remarks. 

  
  


"i do not desire you, in case you missed the memo." closing the door behind herself in order to prevent nayeon's words from reaching the ears of any ill-intentioned officer, she grits her teeth. focusing on unbuttoning the few buttons of her coat is hard when she can feel nayeon's stare burning the back of her head. and so is breathing, mina finds out.

  
  


"are you still not willing to tell me what your deepest desire is?" 

  
  


"i'd like for you to get off my desk, to begin with. oh, and i also kinda want a back massage, if you're so eager to-"

  
  


"now let's not get too carried away, shall we." nayeon rolls her eyes, stepping away from the desk and trapping a still undressing mina against the door. her fingers stay fixated to the middle button of her coat, and she inhales sharply, holding nayeon's stare. "but i'm sure i could help you scratch another itch." 

  
  


nayeon winks. mina blinks, expressionless. 

  
  


"there definitely is an itch you could help me with, actually." mina begins, slipping her now unbuttoned coat off of her shoulders. and she would almost feel sorry for the hope that flashes in nayeon's eyes then. almost, that is. slowly, she gets closer to her until her mouth hovers over her ear, chills rising on nayeon's arms as a proud smirk graces her lips. "someone died at a convention, and i need someone to go undercover there." 

  
  


a short moment of silence passes, mina still close enough to nayeon to feel the warmth of her skin. laughter bubbles in her chest but she keeps it in, biting her lip, amused. 

  
  


surprisingly, nayeon is the one to take a step back, arms folded as she observes the detective, waiting for any sign of this being a joke. none ever comes, to her great misery.

  
  


"does this uncover thing involve you and i sharing a bed?" 

  
  


"oh, you'll be sharing a room with someone, sure. i'll only be watching you from another hotel."

  
  


the sparkle in nayeon's eyes tells mina that this just gave her a certainly devilish idea, so she doesn't immediately tell her who she will be sharing a room with. that would only ruin the fun she knows she's about to have.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


there are two explanations for nayeon to think of at the sight of sana entering the station on that day. 

  
  


the first one involves her taking mina out for another lunch date- there's been a lot of that recently, not that she appreciates it. and in that case, she seems awfully moody for someone who will be granted the opportunity to spend time with the detective, it seems, they are both supposedly fighting for. sunglasses hide her eyes, therefore keeping nayeon from reading through the mirror of her soul, but she can feel it, the angry angel aura.

  
  


but this, this is the best case scenario, of course.

  
  


because the second one involves her presence here being directly linked to the mic an officer is currently strapping to the collar of her dress- this one far less eye-catching although just as expensive. and really, nayeon thinks she might just ask for a no-return ticket to hell right now. punishing humans for their sins seems a lot funnier than having to spend a single minute with the biggest mistake she ever made. certainly boring, yes, but definitely better unless she plans on going absolutely insane. 

  
  


all it takes for her to know which one of those two it is, is for mina to smile amusedly, the corners of her lips twitching upwards. the officer taking care of her jolts in pain as her chest begins to burn under his palm and it's safe to say that nayeon is angry. 

  
  


and yet, she doesn’t show it.

  
  


not because she doesn't wish to, no. the devil has always been very bad at controlling her emotions, certainly because that's what was expected of her. flames and screams, threats and cruel smiles. 

  
  


but mina is there, watching her and waiting for a reaction. and of course she knows that nayeon isn't pleased, she understood that the two women have history ever since she tried to dissuade her from seeing sana again. but nayeon also knows what the detective wishes for, can see in the sparkle shining in playful eyes that deep down, she hopes for them to get along. it's the proof of her obliviousness to everything that makes up nayeon's world. from the angels to the demons, to her unlimited power and immortality, to what she and sana once went through.

  
  


mina knows nothing, after all. 

  
  


at least, that's what nayeon chooses to believe. 

  
  


so she pretends to be only slightly annoyed- she swears she tried to force a smile on her lips but even that wouldn't work- and keeps her chin up. as if the horns currently missing from the top of her head would be visible if she lowered it down. oh, how nayeon wishes to be as good of a liar as sana, whose smile is shining brighter than it ever has as soon as she takes her shades off, rushing to nayeon for a small hug.

  
  


she stays immobile, limbs tense, until the angel pulls away to stare at her, hands still on her hips. 

  
  


nayeon used to believe that she and sana were like fire and ice, both destructive and powerful, enemies who so happened to fall for each other. until she realized that a fire has always burned in their souls. one a vibrant red, as warm as the sunset and blinding as the sun, the other a surreal blue, but a fire that burns and hurts and consumes everything it encounters nonetheless. 

  
  


and as mina separates them gently, a hand spread on their chest and forcing them both to take a step back from each other, a hand that feels like a wave has just crashed over the fire protecting her heart, nayeon begins to believe that the ice is someone else entirely. 

  
  


but when her idea of fire and ice has always been made of one destroying the other, of only one being left victorious, nayeon wonders if she wasn't wrong all along.

  
  


she wonders if the ice isn't there to sooth the scars flames left in their wake, and to keep them from running away from each other, again. as if stuck, frozen in time. 

  
  


"nayeon?" the face of a true angel greets her when she comes back to her senses, skin as fair as the first snow of the year, eyes as cold as the antarctic sea ice. and when the temptation to let herself fall and drown is dancing across her mind, mina's timid smile keeps her from jumping. "i asked if you were alright with working with sana?" 

  
  


her heart is brighter once the flame dies down, and that's what scares her, in the end. 

  
  


"is there alcohol at this convention you want us to attend?" her tight-lipped smile makes mina know just how serious her request is. "if so, i guess i could pretend to be married to… her. it will cost you a lot though."

  
  


"aren't you one of the world's richest women? i'm pretty sure you don't need to get paid for this."

  
  


"i was thinking of a more natural way to pay- ouch, that hurts!" 

  
  


sana silently snickers in front of her, mina still holding her by the ear, reminded of a recent memory she'd almost forgotten about. the apprehension she felt coming here is chased away by the amusing picture unfolding before her eyes. there's always been a certain domesticity to nayeon and mina's relationship, and this she was able to observe from their first meeting. 

  
  


but seeing it with her own eyes makes it different, sweeter. in that moment, sana wonders if endless fights are worth it. if desperately trying to bring nayeon back to hell is the right thing to do.

  
  


it reminds her of what a lover once told her, when the flame of the devil was already dancing in her heart, but the volcano refused to erupt and burn everything it was surrounded by. 

  
  


"

" 

  
  


sana had sworn then, and today, she feels like she's breaking her heart along with her promise. 

  
  


no matter what happens, no matter what decision she makes, she feels like she will never see peace. but she's wrong, and nayeon taught her just that.

  
  


"now that you're done trying to use your charms on me-"

  
  


"so you acknowledge i'm charming then. hey, everyone, detective myoui just admitted to being attracted to me-" this time, mina goes for the forehead instead. it's slightly humiliating, really, but she does stay quiet for the next minute or so. 

  
  


"so, to keep it brief considering i'll be telling you more on our way there. you and sana will need to pass as a married couple. the convention is supposed to regroup most of the country's influential and successful entrepreneurs, which is exactly why you were invited- who knew a nightclub named '666' could make so much in a year," mina pauses in her speech to raise a suspicious eyebrow at nayeon who simply winks back. "a murder was committed in the hotel everyone is staying in, but because everyone there has very high connections and no one will talk to the police, you are our only choice."

  
  


sana nods, remaining motionless as the officer nayeon scared away now begins to work on her own mic. 

  
  


"now, i completely understand my presence there being needed but… i could have done that on my own perfectly well." 

  
  


the glare she receives from sana simply makes her shrug, and that's all it takes for their fighting to be back on. silently so, but back nonetheless.

  
  


"oh, sana is just coming to make sure you don't run off with the first girl you see and ruin our plans." mina pats her back in comfort, certainly to avoid nayeon throwing another tantrum, and it surprisingly works. not without nayeon leaning in her hold and winking at sana, but she supposes that's good enough.

  
  


"seems good to me." sana nods when mina throws her a worried look, her aversion for nayeon not exactly a secret to anyone. nayeon agrees as well, shaking the angel's hand in a tight crushing grip that would hurt any human.

  
  


when their hands fall back to their sides, neither of them notice the invisible string tying them to each other. 

  
  


"great. we're set to go then."

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


right before they leave, sana takes a short trip to the restroom, glad to find it empty. the lock turns without her touching it, and she stands in front of the mirror, keeping herself up by holding the sink.

  
  


taking a deep breath, her eyelids slip shut, hiding her own reflection from herself. nervously, she reaches for the buttons of her shirt until her fingers hover over the last one. the silence of the room feels heavy, like a weight that settles over her shoulders and only adds to the bad moment she knows she’s about to spend. she leaves the last button, trembling hands not able to complete such an arduous task anymore, and slowly, she slips the lavender colored shirt off of her shoulders, letting it fall on her arms. 

  
  


light blue eyes open a few seconds later, in sync with the wings growing from her back. they close right after. 

  
  


not because sana hates the sight of her wings, of what makes her an angel above everything.

  
  


but because the pure white of the most treasured part of herself is darkened at the tips, and ashes fly from them. 

  
  


such a phenomenon has not been unheard of, and that’s what scares her. the fact that she knows exactly what it means for an angel’s wings to turn dark, as if burned by a fire growing at the root of her very own soul.

  
  


soft knocking on the door startles her, and she gasps as her eyes open again, back to their usual brown, her back now empty skin. it's mina, and the soothing cold spreading in her chest is enough for her to know this. 

  
  


"are you okay?" 

  
  


in this moment, sana comes to terms with the evidence she had been trying to avoid. 

  
  


no matter who she chooses, may it be herself, nayeon, or the intriguing detective, sana will never see heaven again. 

  
  


and the day will come for her to understand that peace might just be waiting for her here instead. 

  
  


"yes, i'm fine. just fixing my lipstick ." 

  
  


mina chuckles, and suddenly, her answer feels almost true. 

  
  


a single diamond tear cascades down her cheek, and tonight, the stars will be absent in the dark night sky. 

  
  


but nayeon will make sure to light it up for her, then. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. this is me trying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting really close to the end now and i hope you'll like this chapter! 
> 
> enjoy<3

  
  


in all of the ways nayeon had expected her reunion with sana to go, them having to investigate the murder of a young waitress had definitely not been at the top of her list. 

  
  


it isn't their first reunion, of course not. her left ear ached for a few hours after that one, and so did her heart, although that's not what she would describe as a reunion, but more of a first encounter with an old acquaintance she'd been working hard to forget. it's not that easy, unfortunately. immortality is surely useful, but it also means her mind is overflowing with centuries worth of memories, some more painful than the others.

  
  


she never knew where to put sana on that spectrum. they were once the closest of friends, and this she remembers so vividly that it would almost make her forget about the turn their relationship took. then lovers, the sinners of heaven, although no one ever found out. growing up together might have been the only peaceful part of her life- when they were still kids running around the clouds and watching as wings grew on their backs. peaceful, because it was all that mattered. having fun, and discovering the world on their own from afar. 

  
  


today, as she glances to her right to see that sana is refusing to look at her, she realizes a lot has changed. the little angel who used to knock on her door every day and run around a field of edelweiss is still there, somewhere in her soul, but only remains in scattered parts of the fire that animates her now. 

  
  


her hands tighten on the wheel, and she regrets choosing such high heels for her look today, not used to driving with any. the car is silent, quietness only interrupted by the occasional sound of her nails repeatedly hitting the leather of the wheel. 

  
  


she's nervous, and it only hits her when a hand wraps around her wrist, stopping her from making anymore noise. the red light allows her to look straight at sana in confusion, and the angel's hand only leaves her skin when her leg has stopped nervously bouncing. 

  
  


"if anyone should be nervous here, i'm pretty sure it's me. in a car with the devil, who knows what could happen." sana is still looking by the window, but nayeon can imagine her smile perfectly well. some memories always linger in her mind, no matter how unimportant she believes them to be. 

  
  


"well, you're right, i do bite." the tension surrounding them seems to calm down, but they both know it won't last. nayeon will ruin this as she always does, and sana will have to scold her for it. 

  
  


nothing has changed, but everything did. 

  
  


a reunion involves more than words of anger thrown at each other, to nayeon. it's about reminiscing the past around a few pretzels and a cheap bottle of wine, about old untold confessions coming back to the surface and meaning so much more than they used to. and something tells her this is exactly what is going to happen during the next few days.

  
  


(she's still unable to say if it's a good thing or not. but hopefully, no one will end up burned by the other.

  
  


it's too late for her to prevent it, of course. the devil is not the one who knows all, is she.)

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


"don't do anything suspicious today, just get settled in your room and i'll be calling you later to tell you what to do." mina's voice rings in their ears, an almost invisible in-ear keeping them linked at all times. 

  
  


oddly enough, the detective's presence feels reassuring. like nothing could go wrong between them as long as she's somewhere near, watching over them. peace is not something either of them has ever felt, never something they were able to bring to each other again, but mina is different. a mere human with the power to rule over their hearts. it makes the devil itch to show her just how dangerous she is, and she remembers the promise she secretly made to her mirror a few days ago.

  
  


"oh and one last thing. sana, please don't let her wander off in the building. she'll mess everything up."

  
  


"when have i ever messed a murder case up?" nayeon half-yells, stepping out of the car and throwing the keys at a butler. "i am your best asset, in case you forgot." 

  
  


the call disconnects right after mina sighs, and sana glares at her when she threatens to walk to the hotel room she's staying in not far from here to have a small discussion with her. the building is unsurprisingly a hotel that is closer to a palace than anything, just the kind of place nayeon likes. the golden mouldings remind her of heaven, and of the place she used to call her home. 

  
  


"im nayeon, what a pleasure to see you've accepted our invitation." a man they recognize as the organizer of the convention from the files mina showed them approaches them as soon as they pass through the hotel's doors, someone following behind them with the light suitcases they had to pack. he looks wealthy, but not the good kind. a devil wannabe, as nayeon likes to call them. men who think themselves as powerful as she is, greedy fools, really. 

  
  


her handshake is firm, and slightly burning judging from his light wince. it makes her smirk. but her amusement soon dies down when he turns to face sana and slowly looks at her up down, eyes pausing when they reach the edge of her skirt.

  
  


"and who is this? your date of the day, perhaps?" and really, nayeon isn't thinking when she takes one step closer to sana and wraps an arm around her waist. but she doesn't need to, not when she knows it's the right thing to do. "my date of a lifetime, actually. not that i expect you to understand how to keep a woman in love with you for so long, your ex-wife and i did have an in-depth conversation about that."

  
  


it's the last bit of attention she decides to pay to him for the rest of her stay there, and she somehow hopes for him to be involved in the murder, just so she can throw him off the highest floor of this hotel as a punishment.

  
  


sana seems to sense her anger then, because her hand settles on her waist as well, and it's certainly the first time in centuries for them to be touching each other without it being based on hatred and a will to hurt. neither of them pulls away from the other, as if scared, but of what, no one knows. and when they enter the elevator, sana sighs, and takes a step away from her, leaning back against the opposite side of the lift. 

  
  


"i can defend myself perfectly well, so refrain from speaking for me next time." the angel grits her teeth, the hold on her handbag tightening. the distance separating her from nayeon isn't enough for the anger coursing through the devil's veins not to reach her, but she doesn't move. instead, sana turns to face her, raising an eyebrow as if silently asking her for what she's going to do about this. 

  
  


"this has always been your problem. making such a big deal out of nothing, just because you don't know to express your annoyance towards me otherwise." nayeon bites her lip to keep herself from continuing when she realizes mina might be listening. "i was only acting, we both know i would never let a man steal a woman from me. what would this make me look like."

  
  


"of course this was about you." 

  
  


the escalator reaches their floor before she can retort, and sana is quick to slip past its doors, the card of their room dangling from her fingers. 

  
  


this feels more like a reunion than a first encounter. this is what she was scared of, what she believed would happen. and she would almost give up and let the escalator bring her to an entirely different floor if it didn't mean admitting defeat. 

  
  


so instead of doing that, nayeon follows after sana, and thinks back to the edelweiss and the soft touches. 

  
  


and when it works in calming her racing heart down, she tries not to think too much of it. 

  
  


the room is perfect, really. that's to be expected of such a high standing hotel, after all. the suite is wide, allowing them to navigate through it without having to see each other. the tv neither of them will surely use is hidden in the wall, a detail she appreciates. the chandelier hanging over their heads is black, her second favorite color after red, and she likes this so much better than the golden and white of heaven. the suit is superb, and everything they might need for the next few days is here and accessible, save for one single element.

  
  


"where is the second bed?" sana asks as she strips off her coat, throwing it over the couch. 

  
  


"i do believe it is right there, actually. and you seem so acquainted with it already that i'm sure you won't mind taking that one." it takes a few seconds for sana to understand just what nayeon is pointing at, and when she does, the devil is already laying across the bed, her feet dangling from the edge.

  
  


"the couch?" sana slips out of her heels slowly, as if buying time for what she's preparing, and it makes nayeon gulp in apprehension. "you're not serious, are you?"

  
  


"what a boring joke that would be if i wasn't."

  
  


"i see." 

  
  


eyes focused on each other, no one dares to look away, although neither of them knows why. a certain kind of tension has always followed them, one that never entirely disappears but simply occasionally backs away for a short instant. 

  
  


at first, nayeon used to hate how hard it was for her to read through sana's features. the angel has never been the best at hiding her feelings from the world, but it's always been different with nayeon. everything is always different with nayeon. it's as if showing her how she feels would equal to putting her heart on the table, vulnerable for nayeon to do with it as she wishes, and there's so much she could do, so much that sana isn't sure she would want to stop her from. 

  
  


the devil is used to it now, and with time, she learned that the best way to understand sana was to remember a time when she used to let herself be hers. 

  
  


the calculating look in her eyes reminds her of the days they would spend playing with snow, when sana would look at her intensely for a short instant, right before striking. today, snowballs are placed by the heel she throws at her, but the outcome of the fight is still the same. sana always won back then, and she still does, to the devil's misery.

  
  


three minutes of loud banter later, they are both laying on their self-claimed sides of the bed, immobile and quiet. 

  
  


"you better not hug me in your sleep." nayeon mumbles with a pout, folded arms a clear sign of her irritation. 

  
  


"of course not, you would probably enjoy that." 

  
  


slowly, their heads turn to face each other, still laying on their back on the soft mattress of the bed. 

  
  


"if this goes on i might as well just find someone's wife to spend the night with. i won't let you get on my nerves for too long."

  
  


"then go on, try to find someone that will make you forget about me." what nayeon has always loathed about angels, is how innocent they always look. no matter the fire dancing in their eyes, or the untold threat hanging from the tip of their tongue, anyone would think of them as pure and well-intentioned. but she's no fool, and she knows deep down, that demons have a lot to envy from them. "you've been searching for someone to succeed in doing that for years, so why stop now."

  
  


"how arrogant of you to think the women i dutifully share my time with revolve around you." 

  
  


nayeon braces herself with her hands and sits, staring down at sana. there is red flowing in her usual purple veins, snakes of fire coursing through her blood and letting sana know of how dangerous this could become for her. that's not new, of course not. the devil has never been fond of someone trying to play with her. and yet, the thrill it gives to her is addictive. 

  
  


"i've been observing you, you know. from up there. it didn't take long for me to notice a pattern in all of the women you chose." her words are slow, clear, to make the moment last, probably. "i'm almost flattered, really."

  
  


and right before either of them can go too far and hurt the other, a soft voice resonates in their ears.

  
  


"sorry to interrupt but, we have a small change of plans." the possibility of mina having heard everything is not one they miss, but in the time they've gotten to know her, both know how to read her emotions well. there is no embarrassment in her voice, no real guilt or timidity, and it's enough for them to reach the same conclusion. "you need to interrogate the staff, discreetly of course. and then you're free to do as you wish until tonight's celebration."

  
  


sana and nayeon are still staring at each other when the sound of the call getting cut off echoes in their ears. 

  
  


they don't stop until sana gives up, pink on her cheeks as she rushes into the bathroom with her suitcase. and even though it might not look like it, sana won, again. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


"you never answered my question about mina, by the way." nayeon lights up a cigarette, leaning against the top of the couch as she watches sana put her heels on. 

  
  


ashes from its tip onto the marble floor, barely missing the thick red carpet. the mood has been tense ever since their earlier confrontation, sana's cheeks still just as flushed as the moment she left for the bathroom without ever looking back. from the outside, they probably look like an old married couple in need of a small group therapy session. from the inside, well, nayeon can't deny it feels that way too. 

  
  


"what question?" a suspicious voice speaks up instead of sana's teasing one, and nayeon gasps, startled by the interruption. of course mina would be listening in. "and since when do you smoke?" 

  
  


"i don't smoke. this is just a prop, you know, it adds to the bad girl look. but wait, do you have cameras in our room? interesting." nayeon smirks, observing the ceiling. 

  
  


"i would rather not witness the petty fights you're going to try to bring sana into, so no. i'm in the hotel in front of yours, actually." this catches sana's attention, and she stands from the bed, heels secured on her feet, to search for the room mina might be in. she finds the detective quickly, mostly thanks to her senses and how overwhelmingly strong the purity of mina's soul is. "i'm not sure what kind of bad girl you think you are, the ones i know are more into leather jackets and motorcycles, meanwhile you look like my old aunt whom i suspect to have killed her husband and married his mistress."

  
  


both sana and nayeon stay out of words for a while, exchanging curious looks.

  
  


"did… did i overshare?"

  
  


"yes."

  
  


"no, it's fine."

  
  


sana glares at nayeon and she holds both hands up in a show of innocence, almost accidentally letting go of the cigarette hanging between two fingers. 

  
  


"i'll be listening to and recording everything you say from now on, so please… don't fight." 

  
  


and mina's voice is so shy and soft, hope overflowing from her words and meaning so much more than she meant to in that moment, that nayeon feels all of the anger she had accumulated towards sana leave. it's still there, somewhere hidden between the confusion of a bright past and the longing that never really stopped lingering. but it's calm, a sated monster that finally chose to take rest, temporarily. 

  
  


the devil never allows anyone to control her, especially not a human that really shouldn't hold much importance to her. 

  
  


but it does, because she should know by now that mina is not a simple human. not to her and sana, at least.

  
  


so she puts out her almost intact cigarette on the ashtray, and leaves the room without waiting to make sure sana is following after her.

  
  


it continues to burn, and feels like the sand flowing in an hourglass, the countdown to the end of temporary peace. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


they manage to find crucial clues that could very well lead them to the murderer, sana always standing by her side and watching with renewed attention as nayeon uses her powers on each member of the staff.

  
  


another waitress tells her about a man her friend had been seeing, a man whose name nayeon immediately recognized- certainly because she had to pay him a small friendly visit a few months ago when he tried to open another nightclub right next to hers. a rival, as many would describe them to be. and she supposes the dark aura she had felt surrounding his soul had not been solely due to his involvement in drug trafficking and such. 

  
  


sana has to keep her from leaving for the bar on a few occasions, but overall, both would agree on everything going well. 

  
  


perhaps it is because mina's voice occasionally rings out in their ears to remind them of her presence, perhaps it is because nayeon genuinely wants to catch whoever did this in order to leave this place, and to never have to talk to sana again. both would agree on the second option, but then, both would certainly be wrong. 

  
  


and when the night falls and the cigarette is entirely extinguished, when mina tells them she's going to rest for a while and search for information about the suspect, the tension rises again, fast and sudden, and it feels like they're back to the starting point. 

  
  


"how long are you planning on staying on earth?" nayeon asks as she reaches behind her back for the zipper of her dress, slowly lowering it down. a light blue cocktail dress is waiting for her on the bed, right next to the white pantsuit sana seemingly chose for the occasion. "not that i dislike you stalking me and harassing my acquaintances, but i would love for it to end. sooner rather than later, if god allows the puppet he made of you to go back there." 

  
  


it takes awhile for her to receive an answer, sana remaining immobile on top of the bed they will unfortunately be sharing. her fingers moving on top of her stomach is the only sign that she's still alive, her chest barely rising as she breathes slowly, lost in thoughts. 

  
  


nayeon turns to face her, letting her dress pool at her feet before stepping out of it. the angel barely flinches, simply blinking as her eyes refuse to leave the high ceiling. it's exactly what nayeon would want her to do, and she's definitely not going to give into the temptation. the devil would eat her alive if she dared to consider it. 

  
  


"i am no one's puppet, nayeon. i only accepted this mission because i wanted to."

  
  


"you say i'm obsessed with you," slowly, she gets on the bed, and crawls towards sana, the invisible barrier that separates them reducing by the second. and sana knows that if she were to look, nayeon's eyes would be a shining red. "but you went as far as accepting a useless mission to see me again. i have to say i am just as flattered as you are, darling."

  
  


the last word is whispered teasingly in her ear, and her fingers grip the fabric of her light pink shirt tightly, her jaw tight. 

  
  


and yet, sana never gives in. 

  
  


it's hard to resist, of course, the call of the devil resonating in her heart and her mind like a song that would succeed in making a snake dance. what makes this so difficult for her, above the sweet words and the urge to fall for the easiness of it, is that she knows what it's like better than anyone. nayeon might not have been the devil when they first were together, but this fire always danced in her soul, tempting even the purest of angels to fall into a hole that led to either sole destruction, or an everlasting peace. 

  
  


when nayeon taught her to think for herself, when she told her she was going to try to overthrow her own father from the throne and to get every angel to finally be whoever they chose to become, nayeon's future had already been traced. 

  
  


"what can i say- i hated you so much that i wanted to watch you suffer for what you did."

  
  


nayeon remains next to her for a short instant, gritting her teeth, until she decides there's no use in trying to get the last word this time and grabs her dress, walking to the mirror of the room. 

  
  


silence is never a good sign coming from the devil, but it does give her the impression of having won whatever argument they were having. she only leaves the bed when the time to leaves for the small gala organized on that night comes, but contrary to nayeon, sana chooses to preserve her privacy and dresses in the bathroom.

  
  


the ballroom of the hotel is impressive, reminding nayeon of an ancient time and of the yearly balls angels were required to attend. everything looks so familiar, from the valets dancing between the guests, balancing bottles of champagnes and appetizers on trails. to the mostly white dresses most women chose, men sporting their usual boring black suits. ending with the woman on her arm, sana reaching for her hand as soon as they pass through the room's doors and appear in the eyes of many. 

  
  


centuries ago, she and sana shared their first kiss hiding under a table at a similar event. they walked hand in hand to all of the following ones, until nayeon ended up banned from heaven, and sana chose to never attend a single ball if it was not with the woman she once loved. 

  
  


the night goes exceptionally well, and by that nayeon means that no one bothers her, and sana means that nayeon does not get on her nerves as much as she'd expected. after a few glasses of champagne, nayeon barely registers that sana's hand has not left hers for a whole hour, and neither does the angel, naturally caressing her hand with her thumb. some habits never die, it seems.

nothing has changed. 

  
  


not even the way sana stares at her when she's looking away, the fire replaced by the dim light of stars, sparkling in oblivious eyes. 

  
  


but everything did too. 

  
  


quite like the tightness of nayeon's hold on her hand, as if scared of having to let go, again. 

  
  


but for the night to end well, a miracle would need to happen. and nayeon has never been a believer, unfortunately. 

  
  


"im nayeon, what a surprise!" the voice that half-yells in her ears and unnecessarily so is one she immediately recognizes, and she rolls her eyes right before turning around to face the small man. "i heard you're engaged too. not that i believe it, of course, but it's shocking to hear nonetheless."

  
  


the ring around sana's finger turns as she nervously plays with it, suddenly tense. angels have never felt comfortable when in the vicinity of dark souls, and there's no doubting the pacts this man must have made with the devil. it doesn't exactly make sense that sana would feel safer in the devil's arms than she would spending anymore time next to this stranger, and yet, she's not thinking when she steps closer to nayeon.

  
  


the devil's hold tightens, but neither think much of it. it would be too dangerous to, really. 

  
  


"is it so unbelievable to think i'd ever settle down with a woman?" nayeon asks, shaking her head in disbelief. until she pauses, looks into the void, and cringes. "actually, you're right, it definitely is shocking. but," she looks at sana with the most loving stare she can conjure, and for the first time in ages, her smile seems more honest than devilish. "you can't choose who you fall for." 

  
  


sana's smile dies down for a short moment, until she remembers they're not alone, remembers mina and how she promised to help with finding the murderer, and her laugh would sound fake to no one but herself. and sure, her hit to nayeon's shoulder is a lot stronger than it looks, but she takes pride in hiding her real emotions so well. 

  
  


"well, doesn't seem like it was such a hard choice." 

  
  


the man looks at sana up and down, and nayeon mumbles something under her breath no one hears. 

  
  


"i'll let you know i'm a lot more attractive than she is, actually. anyway, how are you enjoying your time here?" 

  
  


the man chuckles, his smile dropping as soon as he makes eye contact with nayeon, and the game is on. humans are so easy, so willing to speak to someone who promises in a single look to make all of their deepest desires come true. she used to think it was pathetic, but now, it's almost fun. playing with them, controlling someone's soul with her eyes, having a murderer admit to having sinned and watching them cower in fear when she promises them a punishment. 

  
  


it never fails, but some take a bit more prodding. the most evil of them, usually.

  
  


"it was great until you arrived. when are you two lovers leaving so i can go back to enjoying my well-needed vacation?"

  
  


and before nayeon can retort anything, their in-ears activate themselves and mina's voice makes her pause. "he really doesn't seem convinced by your relationship. perhaps, leave the interrogation for tomorrow and try to find a way to convince him instead." 

  
  


in all the ways nayeon had expected her reunion with sana to go, this was even lower on the list- way below having to investigate the murder of a young waitress, or even being forced to share a bed with her. 

  
  


because it seems that convincing someone of their so-called relationship involves a lot more than just middling with the crowd and smiling at each other until someone decides they indeed look in love. or at least, not in sana’s mind.

nayeon knows what’s going to happen way before it does, sees it in the angel’s eyes, in the way she tugs her toward the middle of the room in the same fashion she used to back in heaven, god’s favorite daughter expected to open the dance along with her secret lover. and really, she could run away, dissuade sana of doing so, or even order her not to. 

  
  


there truly is so much nayeon could do, but so little she wants. 

  
  


time stops flowing when sana takes a step closer, but the eyes of many are already trailed on them, as if just as aware of what’s about to happen. and the devil has never felt so vulnerable- not ever since she was thrown in hell and told to rule it, not since she allowed the light sana always gave to her to burn her heart and allow a contained fire to be released into the wild. the lack of a flowing time, their immortal souls suspended in an altered version of reality, certainly is what gives this moment so much more worth. a worth neither of them planned on.

  
  


it gives them time, something they never had back then.

  
  


the devil’s eyes are still a deep brown, the only red taking over her being on her cheeks, a light color painting a now burning skin. and nayeon realizes this might be the first time she and sana are given time, time to take in each other’s features without a bubbling rage taking over their hearts, time to breathe and to choose to think of this moment alone. not of what will follow, not of should remain in the past, but of the instant they’re both living, of the dance sana is bringing her in.   
  


“are you still trying to convince him of our love or,” nayeon feels sana’s breath against her lips, unfazed brown eyes staring right into hers, determined. “are you trying to prove something to yourself?”

  
  


the angel’s lips part slightly, and nayeon’s eyes lowerl down to admire them. it’s odd, but even centuries later, she feels like she can still taste her on her lips, no matter the distance still left between them. until sana chuckles, shaking her head to let nayeon know she’s definitely not going to answer that, and closes the small distance left. not entirely, no. but enough for their nose to be touching, softly, and it all feels so sweet, too sweet to be real.

  
  


“i already have everything figured out, nayeon.” 

  
  


light chatter begins again right as time continues on its usual flow, but the crowd surrounding them is the last thing on their mind. 

  
  


sana kisses her, and it’s everything nayeon didn’t know she wanted. her lips fall over hers in an expected but nonetheless surprising show of love, and neither of them seems to register the fact that they are no longer protected by the bubble sana had them wrapped in. certainly because their lips were able to replace it and to create one of its own.

  
  


oddly enough, there’s something shy in their kiss, lips timidly moving against each other, something that never truly defined their relationship well. their last kiss, for example, was desperate and eager, ushered whispers of loving confession whispered between each kiss. but this one is silent and slow, and a sweet ballad plays in the back of their minds, lulling them into letting go of the mistakes they once made and of the resentment they both supposedly felt. and when sana pulls away, hands lingering on nayeon’s cheeks, the moment is prolonged, no one speaking as if scared to bring everything back to how it was. 

  
  


nayeon blinks then, and sana knows it’s over. she doesn’t know what exactly it was, but she knows it’s gone. 

  
  


“i’d give you a 6 out of 10 for that kiss. you had me used to way better.”

  
  


but instead of rolling her eyes and getting angry over her remarks, sana simply smiles, this pensive and bittersweet smile that reflects so many forgotten memories, and follows after her, hands still tightly clutched.

  
  


nayeon spends the rest of the gala lazily drinking from a glass of champagne, sana spends it with a mind full of thoughts that inspire so much more danger than the fire nayeon could breathe. neither of them comment on the kiss, but they don’t need to. not when it very clearly resides in the back of their minds and will do so for a very long time.

  
  


and when the man they were trying to convince walks out of the ballroom with a surprised but nonetheless seemingly persuaded look, nayeon decides that the time has come for them to leave for the night as well, and she disappears without ever glancing back at sana.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“where is nayeon?” 

  
  


mina’s voice sounds anxious, anticipating bad news from sana, but she gets nothing of the sort. not exactly, that is.

  
  


sana sighs, slipping out of her heels, and jumps on nayeon’s side of the bed, not exactly caring about the arrangement they previously made. it feels warmer, not that it surprises her, and she breathes into her pillow, feeling as if ashes fly into her lungs and burn her from the inside. it’s peaceful, soothing, and in a way, that’s what burning has always felt like when nayeon was the one creating the fire. 

  
  


“probably went out for a walk. i think she might be going through an existential crisis.”

  
  


she hears mina’s tired sigh and gets the urge to stand up and walk to the window, just to see her for a few seconds. but her body is just as exhausted as her mind, and she simply turns in bed, eyes focused on the high ceiling. 

  
  


“i heard you.”

  
  


the deep breath mina clearly took right before talking is enough for sana to understand what she is referring to and it makes her pause in her thoughts.

  
  


“nayeon never told me what history you two have but… it seems pretty clear now.”

  
  


sana lets out a dry chuckle, brushing a strand of hair away from her warm forehead as she stretches her legs on the bed. “i’m not sure you do, mina. i’m not sure we do either, to be honest. nayeon and i go way back, and it didn’t end well. i think that’s all you should know, for now.”

  
  


the silence that follows her words is what drives her to finally stand from the bed in order to look at mina, and when she sits on the window sill, the detective is indeed right there, staring with empty eyes and breathing slowly. 

  
  


and deep down, sana knows what she’s thinking about. 

  
  


she’s invited the detective on a few dates, and all of them have gone exceptionally well. she probably believed them to be going somewhere, even though the lines of their relationship were still blurry and confusing, even though mina never allowed it to go further than a soft kiss on the cheek and a promise to see each other again, there was 

and right now, she’s certainly wondering if that something came from her imagination, from her hope of finding what she had long ago lost in sana.

  
  


the corners of her lips twitch upwards in a sad smile, and sana can see, even with the distance, that it never reaches her eyes.

  
  


“you should… you should try to find her before she messes something up. i’ll be waiting here, just in case.”

  
  


“mina,” she sighs, lips parting and closing again as she tries to find the right words, clearly sensing just how upset she is. “let me explain-”

  
  


“good night, sana.”

  
  


the curtains of her room fall to hide her. sana spends long minutes staring at her silhouette, until she disappears entirely, and her eyelids fall shut.

  
  


(mina only leaves the window to lean back against the wall, slowly lowering down until she’s sitting on the floor, arms hugging her legs.

  
  


there’s so much on her mind then, thoughts of sana suddenly entirely linked to nayeon, and her eyelids slip shut, heavy with exhaustion and the moment she heard more than witnessed. 

  
  


the hopeful part of herself tries to convince the rational one that this kiss had nothing to do with their relationship nor with the mysterious aura that has been surrounding them since day one, but it’s not strong enough to allow her a peaceful night of sleep. not when she can not help but wonder if sana only stayed for nayeon, if she was not the one the angel-like woman was interested in after all. 

  
  


and she supposes she should be blaming herself for hoping for more, for thinking sana could someday fill the emptiness in her heart. 

  
  


but it hurts nonetheless.)

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“i kissed sana.” ashes fly in the bedroom nayeon just appeared in, and she sends them away with her hand. “or, sana kissed me, really.”

  
  


the groan of exasperation that follows her words is one nayeon promptly ignores, repetitive click of heels interrupting the only time of peace tzuyu allowed herself to get in years. her girlfriend barely reacts to the fact that a woman is currently walking in circles in front of their bed, nor does she think much about the puff of smoke that took over the room when she arrived here. it’s a good thing that tzuyu warned her about this being a risk.

  
  


“nayeon, it’s seven… the sun isn’t even up yet.”

  
  


“but sana kissed me!” nayeon whines, folding her arms petulantly as she stops at the foot of their bed. she finally seems to notice chaeyoung at this moment, waving at her in greeting and proceeding to ignore her for the rest of her stay in their room. “that calls for an emergency meeting, vacation in hawaii or not.”

  
  


and of course tzuyu gives in, she always does. it takes her a while, sure, and she only joins nayeon on the beach right outside of the house she rented for the week once she’s made sure that chaeyoung is okay with it. but she does it nonetheless, ruined morning or not.

  
  


“i thought you didn’t want me to be your therapist anymore.”

  
  


“that’s why i’m asking for a friend here.” nayeon sighs, playing with the still cold soft sand with her feet as she approaches the water. “also, you’re the only person i know who dated someone for over a week, so i didn’t have much of a choice.”

  
  


“look, nayeon.” rubbing at her tired eyes, tzuyu tries to clear the cloud tiredness set over her mind. “if i give you advice, i want you to follow it from now on. i don’t mind helping you, but you’re not letting me.”

  
  


“okay.”

  
  


“okay?” tzuyu frowns, looking at her in surprise. “it’s that easy?”

  
  


“yeah, you clearly are the wise one here anyway.” she watches as nayeon sits down on the sand, light blue cocktail dress making her look so out of her element, and joins her, a light summer breeze softening the mood. “so go on, this is a one time opportunity..”

  
  


“ok.” the demon doesn’t immediately answer, instead playing the soft sand under her hands and trying to come up with the right words. “ you need to tell sana about how you feel. even after all these years, i never really felt like you got over your first love. i mean, even when i was just a child you would tell me about her all the time and… it never felt like you ever learned how to let go.”

  
  


nayeon can feel tzuyu’s eyes burning the side of her face, but she ignores her, refusing to hold eye contact. tonight has left her feeling so vulnerable that she’s not even sure she could manage to hide how she truly feels from her. “but… i don’t know how i feel. that’s the problem here.”

  
  


“then learn to shut up before you chase her away without ever getting things figured out.”

  
  


nayeon sighs and remains silent, eyes following the horizon, burning from the rising sun appearing from the sea. she wants to be angry, wants to tell tzuyu she’s wrong and only needs to get rid of sana for her mind to find peace again. she wants to stand and run into the cold water, because that’s how she imagines a hug from mina would feel, a violent and yet sweet awakening. in reality, nayeon has always wanted more than she could ever obtain, greediness a trait she pretty much created. but she has never wanted someone, something, without being able to explain why.

  
  


and sana, sana has always been an unexplainable tornado nothing ever worked in hiding her from. the wind that allowed the flames to grow stronger, until she burned herself. 

  
  


“so, do i just go back there and pretend nothing happened?”

  
  


“if it’s time you need, sure. but don’t take too long, i would hate to have to find another friend. that and kookeu only listens to you, so don’t disappear and make my life a living hell.”

  
  


before she leaves, nayeon spends half an hour admiring the sunrise, alone on the beach. there’s sand all over her dress, sticking to her palms, and it makes her realize just how nervous she got when sana brought her in a kiss, sweat dripping from her hands. it feels calming, the soft breeze pushing a strand of hair in her eyes, the cold water under her feet when she finally dares to take a step closer to it. 

  
  


and between all of this, the sun is slowly rising, but instead of a burning heat that would destroy the peaceful harmony of the moment, nayeon only feels a comfortable warmth adding itself to the picture, as if belonging there.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


the lights are off when she opens the suite’s door, blinds still open and allowing the natural light of the moon to illuminate the bed.

  
  


pausing in the entrance, she leans against the doorframe and takes a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst. in all of the scenarios that played in her head when she made her way here again, far away from hawaii and its soft sun, there was always something going wrong. 

  
  


either sana scolding her for her absence, mina waiting for her here to blame her for the possibility of their mission being a failure, or even the angel taking all of the bed and forcing her to sleep on the couch. 

  
  


“are you coming to bed?” a soft sleepy voice speaks before she can take another step into the room and she pauses once again, rubbing her hands nervously and feeling the few remaining grains of sand fall on the marble floor. “i know we don’t exactly need to sleep but, i’m tired.”

  
  


none of the scenarios she had calculated are true, in the end. 

  
  


it’s a relief as well as a disappointment, certainly because she’s always willing to pick a fight with sana, no matter the outcome. 

  
  


but tonight, tonight she promised to listen. 

  
  


a few seconds later, her dress flies onto the couch and she slips an oversized shirt over her head, slipping under the sheets without a word. her in-ear is on the bedside table and she grabs it, bringing it to her ear. 

  
  


“detective?” she whispers into the mic she made sure to get from her dress, laying on her back and desperately trying to avoid touching sana.

  
  


silence greets her at first, and she bites her lip in worry, wondering if mina is as mad as she’d imagined. that’s the last thing she wants, especially since she knows just how hard it is to earn her trust and does not wish to have to try all over again.

  
  


but right before she can give up and turn to her side to sleep, she hears someone sigh in her ear and holds her breath. 

  
  


“tell me you didn’t ruin our chances of making him confess by sleeping with his girlfriend.”

  
  


sana shifts in bed next to her and suddenly a soft light illuminates her side of the bed as she sits up to stare at nayeon. 

  
  


“you really have such low esteem for me, mina. i’m almost offended, really.”

  
  


“answer the question, nayeon.” her voice is heavy with sleep, and she knows the chances of her having woken her up are high. 

  
  


“of course not. i only took a short walk along the beach to empty my mind.”

  
  


“the closest beach is two hours away from here… but, whatever, not gonna ask.” mina breathes heavily in the mic and nayeon understands just how nervous she was about her disappearance. “i thought something might be wrong.”

  
  


“i would ask you to come check yourself but my bed is currently occupied by a stranger, and i’m not sure you would like to share it with her.”

  
  


“nayeon…”

  
  


“we can do it from here though, that won’t be an issue.” nayeon avoids sana’s foot by chance, sticking her tongue out at her playfully when she misses her hit twice in a row. “here, let me start. what are you wearing?”

  
  


and really, out of all the ways she expected her night to go, sana taking the small microphone she was holding and throwing her off the bed had not been part of the planned scenarios. but she supposes it could be worse when sana allows her to get back in and threatens to throw by the window if she tries to contact mina again.

  
  


she hears an amused “good night.” in her ear right before she allows sleep to take her in its arms, and both she and sana melt on the bed, as if at peace from a few words.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“so, this was an eventful weekend.” nayeon watches the officers she is now accustomed to working with bring her old rival in a police car, hands in the pockets of the simple black pantsuit she chose for the day. “but the time has come for us to part ways and for you to go back to heaven, i think.”

  
  


a valet hurries toward them with the suitcase they’d taken for their stay here, and nayeon is quick to give sana hers, putting her own in the trunk of the car she stole from tzuyu for the occasion. it’s not like she needed it, she’s currently on a sort of honeymoon with her girlfriend, far away from nayeon and her problems. she won’t even notice that the black and purple bugatti chiron is missing from the garage.

  
  


“i’m not going back.” 

  
  


and sana sounds so sure of herself, so definitive in her choice, that nayeon has no choice but to pause on her way to the car, trunk still open as she stares at the angel in disbelief. 

  
  


“what do you mean you’re not going back?” she scoffs, arms folded as she takes her in. “you know angels aren’t supposed to stay on earth for too long, it’s dangerous.”

  
  


“why does it matter, are you perhaps worried about me?”

  
  


“no, don’t be silly.” nayeon shakes her head, reaching for the top of the trunk to bring it down. she takes a step closer to sana, and suddenly, it’s just the two of them, background noises remaining just that, mina still very much busy with paperwork in the hotel. “i’m just surprised, i guess.”

  
  


“yeah, well, this was an eventful weekend as you said. it had me thinking.”

  
  


“that’s a first.” sana rolls her eyes, but she knows nayeon too well not to interpret her words as if she meant them. especially not when she looks so intrigued, staring at her in confusion but also with a sort of excitement shining in her eyes. “i knew kissing me was a divine experience but… not to the point of making you take such risks.”

  
  


“actually, you’re not the reason why i’m staying.” they both glance at mina right as she leaves the hotel and no words need to be spoken for nayeon to understand what she meant by that. “have a nice ride back home, i’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.” 

  
  


and oddly enough, having to watch as sana and mina hug, the detective helping her lift the heavy suitcase into her own car before they enter it, does not hurt nayeon as much as she’d believed. sure, there’s a light ache spreading in her chest that makes her want to step forward and add her grain of salt to the situation, but she remembers tzuyu’s advice and simply chooses to let it go.

  
  


just for this one time, nayeon will admit that something feels almost right when sana and mina share the same picture.

  
  


she loathes it.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


she loathes having to take care of a child whose mother is going on a romantic date with her supposedly worst enemy a lot more, nayeon finds out.

  
  


it’s not the child she hates, no, nari is actually pretty devilish in her own ways, and nayeon barely has to teach her anything. and it’s not like she’s spent much time with her, but the few evenings she spent here working with mina only got better every time, so she supposes it’s enough for her to know her tastes and how to keep her slightly entertained until mina comes back.

  
  


no, what bothers her is the reason why she’s here, trying to find an easy tutorial on how to make crèpes meanwhile the child throws batman and catwoman figurines at the wall, screaming in her ears until she deigns to agree on putting the cat ears headset nari hands her. 

  
  


(although she wouldn’t say that the situation in itself isn’t hard to handle, but that’s not what she decides to focus her anger on for the time being.)

  
  


“did your mother tell you why she chose me of all people to be your nanny?”

  
  


nari pauses in her running to look up at nayeon, narrowing her eyes as she watches her break an egg using the wall. “i asked for you.”

  
  


nayeon accidentally lets go of the broken egg, its content flying down to the sugar covered floor- this is not her first incident of the night, it seems. the child stares up at her innocently, genuinely confused as to why nayeon did not know about this, and she’s unsure of how to respond for a while.

  
  


“i thought you knew i hated you!” 

  
  


the little girl’s lips wobble, and nayeon might not be an expert when it comes to children but she knows that’s usually not a good sign. not when nari woke up the entire building the last time she cried from the intensity of her sobs. she’s an amazing blackmailer, actually, and nayeon is almost proud. it makes her feel like a dad teaching his daughter soccer and watching as she scores her first goal, all on her own. 

  
  


“mommy says you're a liar though.”

  
  


“does your mommy make you crèpes and turns a blind eye to you eating an entire chocolate cake?”” nari looks down then, shrugging, and nayeon knows she’s won. against a child, sure, but a win is a win no matter what. “that’s what i thought.”

  
  


out of all the ways nayeon had expected her friday night to go, wearing a pink apron and burning crèpes- although that doesn’t seem to bother nari too much, adding a bit more chocolate over those almost makes the sour taste disappear- was not very high on her to do list. the only reason she accepted was because sana texted her a picture of a smiling mina, certainly after one of their many lunch dates, and she immediately understood she could not let that happen.

  
  


she met mina first, after all. (and what a meeting that was.)

  
  


so by logic, she should be the one taking her on dates, bringing her flowers and getting a kiss on the cheek. she should be the first one mina thinks of when she’s bored at night and needs someone to talk to, she should be the one mina turns to when she’s in need of help, may it be with nari or for whatever reason. 

  
  


and somehow, nayeon does not feel like she’s always coming first. 

  
  


“hey, nari, can i ask you something?” they’ve long ago migrated to the couch, nari having insisted on watching the lion king for the fourth time in a row, and the little girl is leaning against her, nayeon only shrugging and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. it feels oddly domestic, and if anyone were to enter and see them like this, they’d probably expect nayeon to be her mother and not an underpaid nanny who agreed to help a friend. in a way, it feels like they’re both aware of this, but no one wishes to pull away. 

  
  


“sure.” nari nods, looking away from the screen to give nayeon all of her attention. 

  
  


“let’s say one of your friends really wants to play with your blue dinosaur toy- you know, the big one who scares all of the other dinosaurs away- but you also really want to use it, you need to use it even.” nayeon speaks slowly, pausing to make sure the child is following her slightly childish but nonetheless efficient comparison. “what would you do?”

  
  


nari seems to be seriously considering nayeon’s question seriously and reaches for the controller to put the movie on pause, still clutching her favorite teal dinosaur plushie. the silence that falls over the room is almost intimidating but not as unbearable as the eternal tick of a clock. and really, she shouldn’t expect much from a child, not when her friend herself has already given her advice she should surely stick to. but it somehow feels easier to talk to a child who is still far from understanding the downsides of life.

  
  


“if i answer, can i get a piggy back ride to my bed when i have to go sleep?”

  
  


“well,” nayeon blinks, realizing this child is already making deals and could very well become a way better devil than she is someday. “sure, you’ll get your piggy back ride.” 

  
  


they shake hands, the little girl’s almost engulfed in nayeon’s, and nari sighs. “i guess, if my friend really liked my blue dinosaur, we could share it and play together.”

  
  


“sharing?” nayeon bites her lip in reflection, trying to bring the whole toy image onto her own situation. “but, what if your blue dinosaur suddenly learns how to talk and tells you he really wants to spend time with your friend while you’re the one playing with him.”

  
  


“but toys don’t talk.”

  
  


“that’s not the point. come on, focus!” nayeon rolls her eyes, sighing. she’s not sure what made her think this would be any easier than talking to an adult, but she’s seriously beginning to doubt her own beliefs.

  
  


“well… i guess i would ask big blue dinosaur if he’s okay with me and my friend playing with him together. and i think he would agree if he likes me too.”

  
  


and oddly enough, nayeon seems to understand exactly what nari means. she doesn’t reply, instead reaching for the controller and hitting play again, but it does not mean she doesn’t spend the rest of the evening trying to think of what this could mean for her and mina- and sana, who it seems she can not simply take out of the equation, and this because the detective is attached to her as much as because she herself is trying to figure out if she ever learned how to let go of her.

  
  


nari falls asleep on her laps before the film c an end, and nayeon doesn’t notice until she starts snoring quietly in her ear and lets go of her favourite plushie, the dinosaur falling down to the floor in a soft thud. but instead of waking her up to tell her to go to bed, she decides to let her stay there, nari’s hold on her hand never loosening. 

  
  


she’s still bitter about being appointed as a nanny when she’s pretty sure she would have been a way better date than sana, but the comfort she gets in spending time with a child she pretty much adopted as her- not that she’d ever admit to that- makes the pill slightly easier to swallow. there’s something about her that reminds nayeon of tzuyu, just without the demon horns and the occasional desire to kill. she likes it, knowing that she somehow matters to someone. 

  
  


when the time comes for her to go to bed, the clock getting too close to the time mina will supposedly arrive home, and nari jumps on her back, giggling happily and hitting her sides with her feet to get her to go faster, nayeon finds herself chuckling, holding back laughter. it doesn’t immediately hit her that this might be the first time she genuinely laughs with someone, the same way it doesn’t hit her that she has been feeling so much more than she used to recently, may it be fondness or a still growing light residing in her chest she would rather not name. 

  
  


a few months ago, humans were disposable to her. tolerable to be around, acceptable to play with, fun to destroy. today, they’re making her heart beat, and fueling the delicate fire that animates her soul.

  
  


“nayeon, can i ask you a question too?” nari is already in bed, and she interrupts nayeon right before she could turn off her bedside lamp and leave without a word.

  
  


“sure, but only if you don’t tell your mother you went to bed two hours later than planned.”

  
  


“deal.” a bright amused smile seals their deal, and nari looks away from her for a short instant, as if deep in thoughts. her features become almost sad as her smile dies down, and when she looks up at nayeon again, the devil feels an ache spreading in her chest, the urge to reassure and hug the little girl growing in her heart. “are you going to make mommy cry?”

  
  


nayeon blinks, trying to keep the confusion from being too obvious in her expression. many thoughts run through her mind then, and she does not like where all of them lead her. of course she knows that nari is a lot smarter than some would expect a child of her age to be, she might be reluctant on being her nanny but she’s observant nonetheless, and knows her far too well to have missed on that. 

  
  


and yet, no answer seems to hold more truth than the other, so she does the only thing she can think of and reaches for her hand, holding onto it delicately.

  
  


“why would you think that, sweetheart?”

  
  


“because you like her.” nari says, her voice calm as if she had not just told nayeon she knew of her potential feelings for her mother. “mommy says when you like someone, sometimes, you make them cry. are you going to make her cry?”

  
  


her thumb slowly rubs her hand, her hold never dying down, and nari holds her stare intensely, waiting for an answer. her eyes are so similar to mina’s, a clear brown that feels like a mirror, forcing nayeon to face her own reflection as well as her feelings, and she fights against the urge to close her eyes and make such a sight disappear. 

  
  


and really, minutes later, she wonders why she has not yet answered, wonders why she hasn’t denied it already. if it had been anyone else, she would have certainly called for the devil that still lives in her, and if her answer had not come in the form of fire it would have been with sarcasm, or anything that could keep her from having to be honest.

  
  


but nari did not ask her if she has feelings for her mother, no, this she seems sure of. her question was something else entirely, and the worry that flashes in her eyes pushes nayeon to allow herself to simply be, without there being a need for one of the many personas she’s created to keep her from honesty.

  
  


“let’s make a pinky promise.” she lets go of her hand and shows the sleepy girl her pinky finger. “i won’t make your mommy cry, and you won’t fight with everyone at school anymore because you know how sad that makes her. is that good for you?”

  
  


an hour later, nari is sound asleep, and nayeon has made a promise she intends on honoring.

  
  


(she has also realized something far more dangerous than not knowing how to let go of sana. something that comes from nari’s own words, echoing in her head endlessly.

  
  


something that involves learning how to share her heart in two.)

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


mina has supposedly gone on many dates with sana.

  
  


there was their first one in a chic bar of tokyo at the top floor of a building, not that the view had enthralled her as much as sana on that day. then, there was their first lunch date, one nayeon had insisted on accompanying them on, and the many ones that followed, sana passing by the station at least three days a week just to see her. 

  
  


there were flowers, always white and pure, and there were small gifts and surprises, a simple silver bracelet, a teddy bear sana easily won at a funfair. 

  
  


there was even a short and soft kiss, traces of sana’s lipstick remaining on her cheek until she came home and reluctantly wiped the memory off her skin along with the soft pink color. 

  
  


but this, this is new.

  
  


mina fiddling with her keys in front of her apartment door, refusing to breathe, as if suspended in time, endlessly waiting for something. sana biting her lip, balancing from one foot to another as she nervously waits for a sign, a look or a deep red blush on her cheeks. the unreal ticking of a clock bringing them closer, sounding like a soft but nonetheless meaningful ballad in their minds, both waiting to find out who will take the first step and invite the other for a dance.

  
  


the night was almost perfect. from the moment sana stepped out of the hotel she has been staying at, the fist eye contact they made having left mina frozen in the back of the taxi they both agreed on taking for long minutes, and shamelessly so. to the way their hands never pulled away from one another, because even after what happened, even after mina found out about nayeon and sana’s relationship, she could not help but crave this, this sweetness that rolls off sana in delicate waves.

  
  


nayeon. 

  
  


nayeon, without whom mina will, it seems, not be able to know perfection. 

  
  


she would have loved to pretend an emptiness did not reside in her heart the whole time, she would have loved to fall for the angel and protect herself from the devil. but she has recently understood just what the reason behind the blurry veil that covered her feelings was. 

  
  


it was becoming too obvious to be ignored. how could she pretend she did not think of nayeon’s teasing smirk every time sana warmed her heart with her signature bright smile? how could she ignore the rapid beating of her heart every time they both bantered over her attention? 

  
  


how could she do all of this, when her mind had clearly figured everything out from the very beginning. 

  
  


“i guess… i’ll go now, then.” sana’s actions are not coordinated with her words, and she remains immobile, waiting, hoping for mina to tell her to stay, just a bit more.

  
  


but finding the right words in that moment is too hard, not when she’s struggling with the realization of her feelings, so she does the only thing she can think of to get her to understand and takes a step closer, entering what could very well be seens as the limit to sana’s personal space. 

  
  


“unless… you don’t want me to?”

  
  


mina blinks, taking a deep shaky breath. the sound of the keys she’s holding hitting each other increases, a clear sign of her nervousness, and sana seems to sense all of this because she reaches for her hand and holds it, softly. 

  
  


“i don’t think i do, no.”

  
  


“and,” sana smiles nervously, biting her lip to keep herself from making her apprehension too obvious. “what is it you want, mina?”

  
  


there’s so much mina wants, so much she wants to experience. but what she knows, what she truly desires in that instant, is to try.

  
  


as soon as she glances down to sana’s lips, she closes the last bit of distance left between them and their noses awkwardly hit until sana angles her face correctly. her hands fall down to her hips, and the giggles that slip past her lips dies down when their lips finally touch.

  
  


out of all the ways she imagined her first kiss with sana to go, this is exactly how she’d believed it would play out.

  
  


it’s sweet, soft and slow. and of course mina is thinking of nayeon, of course mina wonders if it would feel just as pure to kiss her. but it’s not all that’s on her mind. not when sana’s hands frame her face, her touch soft on her cheeks, and tilts her head slightly, deepening the kiss until a small gasp escapes her mouth and she purposely slows down. it’s sweet, but it burns, and she feels like flames grow around her heart, embracing it in a protective hold. 

  
  


it only lasts for a few seconds, but feels so much longer than that, leaving mina in a euphoric haze. 

  
  


and that’s certainly why she doesn’t immediately notice what sana is staring at, certainly why, for a short instant, mina feels like she’s floating on a cloud and flying higher and higher, as if going straight to heaven.

  
  


until the door creaks, and suddenly, mina is being pulled down to hell.

  
  


“oh, you’re… here.” 

  
  


nayeon looks tired, and that’s a first. the cuffs of her red silk shirt are bunched around her wrists, top buttons left open, her chest heaving with every breath. the look in her eyes is unreadable, and the flame that shines in there is one mina is not yet familiar with- although sana is, she remembers it well from the day nayeon told her she would someday have to leave. 

  
  


but sana is not the one nayeon is acknowledging. instead, she holds mina’s stare as if trying to read her thoughts in the clarity of brown eyes. 

  
  


the detective’s lips part and close again right after multiple times as she searches for the right words, trying to understand what she feels and above all of this, what she should do in such a moment.

until she doesn’t need to anymore, allows herself to fall and let the devil pull her closer, figuratively as well as physically.

  
  


there’s so much mina wants, and nayeon seems to know about each and every one of her desires. so she takes the step fear kept her from taking, and allows her to try. 

  
  


out of all the ways she imagined her first kiss with nayeon to go, this is exactly how she’d believed it would play out.

  
  


it’s urgent, intense and unexpected. and of course mina is thinking about sana, of course she’s comparing the two in her mind. but it’s not all that’s on her mind. not when nayeon walks until she’s trapped between her and the wall, not when her touches stay surprisingly soft, quite like someone touching glass. nayeon is everything she can feel, all she can breathe and all she wants, and none of this was supposed to happen, but she’s glad that it did, somehow. it’s urgent, but it burns, and those flames are so much stronger and dangerous, but only end up encountering the ones sana diligently placed around her heart, a barrier of fire that makes this almost soothing. 

  
  


the night is perfect now, and she’s not sure she wants it to end.

  
  


nayeon parts from her and leaves a last kiss on her burning forehead, and mina blinks.

  
  


when she opens her eyes again, the entrance hall to her apartment is empty. not a single element seems out of place save for the keys that fell from her hand now being on the floor, and if it weren’t for the rapid beating of her heart and the tingling sensation on her lips, mina would believe herself to have imagined all of it. 

  
  


she breathes deeply, leaning back against the wall in front of the apartment door left wide open as she tries to catch her breath and calm her racing mind. it only seems to work minutes later, when one of her neighbours opens his door and passes right by her on his way to the staircase, and she’s thankfully almost back to herself then- at least enough for her short greeting not to sound too off.

  
  


an hour later, as she lays in bed and the events of the night replay in her mind, mina doesn’t know if she’ll see sana and nayeon again, but trying worked, because her mind is almost entirely made up.

  
  


(a small detail about what happened stays at the front of her mind, and on that night, her dreams get a visit from an angel with dark wings, and a devil with a promise to honor.)

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


sana blinks, and when her eyelids slide open again, she sees fire.

  
  


it’s everywhere around her, falling from trees of obsidian and flowing under her feet like red water, it’s right next to her, personalized by the devil who is promptly ignoring her presence and simply steps forward, her hand touching the large rocks that surround them and leaving a burning red imprint on the stone.

  
  


and although she never even glanced at sana to ask her to follow after her, the angel knows what’s expected of her, knows that in hell, only one person rules and dictates the turn events will take.

  
  


nayeon is always ten steps ahead of her, and the gap between the rocks is decreasing, making her afraid of accidentally touching one and getting burned. there’s just enough space for someone to slip between them, and when she looks up to stare at the orange sky one last time, the path reaching its end, she’s not even sure she’ll ever step out of there alive.

  
  


she almost bumps into nayeon then, not having realized she’d stopped at the entrance. and sana is surprised to hear her take a deep breath, her hands nervously clenched in fists, until she takes one more step and enters what sana fears will lead to her death. 

  
  


in all of the ways nayeon had expected her reunion with sana to go, this is what she’d spent centuries planning.

  
  


the heaven she made on her own, the place in which she stored all of the fond memories they’d once made.

  
  


sana stops in the middle of the artificial wide cave, her breath catching in her throat for a short instant as she takes in the sight of what she’d first believed to be a torture chamber.

her heels almost land on a familiar white flower, and she’s left out of words to stare at the field of edelweiss that surrounds her, a single white bench nayeon goes to sit on cutting through the scenery.

  
  


“you seem to believe that i stopped caring about you the second i left heaven.” 

  
  


when sana turns to face her, looking away from the flowers that always marked their story, she finds in her eyes the will to get closer, and closer, until she claims the place left next to her. sitting down, it feels as if this is exactly what she was supposed to do, as if this is exactly where she belongs. 

  
  


“i came here every day for centuries to care for these flowers.”

  
  


sana breathes deeply, looking away from the devil to admire the surreal sight. “nayeon…”

  
  


“don’t make this any harder for me.”

  
  


the sound of running water reaches their ears, and sana wonders what kind of miracle nayeon had to make in order to achieve something like this. bringing life to the world of death has been unheard of, and she knows whatever this place is has not been shown to anyone. until she brought her here, allowing herself to be vulnerable.

  
  


it pushes sana to think she too should open her heart to the devil.

  
  


“i just-”

  
  


“please,” nayeon sounds almost desperate, breathing deeply, and she closes her eyes, frowning. “can you let me finish-”

  
  


“i’ve fallen.” 

  
  


the silence that follows is one they both allow to last, for it says so much more than either of them could put into words. and in a single look, they both know. they know they will never get everything they lost back, all of the memories they made in heaven and the semblance of love they’d experienced.

  
  


because peace was never here.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading<3


	4. the other side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after having spent so much time writing this, i almost wished it didn't end yet, even though this chapter was particularly hard for me to write. but i'm also really happy to have reached the end, and i hope you'll like it as much as i did. thank you so much for reading this fic!
> 
> enjoy<3

  
  


her dreams are what awakes mina far earlier than planned, dawn still rising as the sky turns to a light blue, half illuminated by the moon and the still timid sun. she’s not sure they should be described as dreams when they left her feeling oddly anxious, as if anticipating a blow that never comes, but they’re not nightmares either and this she’s sure of. 

  
  


it takes long minutes for the cloud of confusion settled over her mind to be chased away by a light morning breeze, and she’s finally able to open her eyes, slowly, aware of just how hard such a task is so early in the morning. she should be used to it by now, especially when nari has used her to waking up two hours earlier than planned by rushing into her bed to make sure she’s not the only one awake and tired. but her dreams have left her just as exhausted as she was when she slipped into bed last night, and that’s certainly what happens when you have too much on your mind to let it rest.

  
  


but no matter how hard it is for her to correctly wake up, she manages to sit up in bed, her breathing going back to normal, right before she nears sleep again and risks going back to the dreams that have been haunting her mind all night long. between having to go through this again and starting early with breakfast and a fresh cup of coffee, her mind is already entirely made up. 

  
  


and really, mina never takes time each morning to take in her surroundings before she slips out of bed, mostly because her eyes are way too tired to properly open, and also because she knows this room by heart. but this morning, something is different. and whatever that something is calls for her to glance at the pillow she hasn’t used in ages, right next to the spot she has long ago claimed as hers in bed.

  
  


she blinks when a foreign element catches her eyes, and stays immobile in bed, still trying to clear the fog of exhaustion of a night with barely any sleep. 

  
  


mina blinks again, but this time she sees it. 

  
  


there’s a white flower, resting in the middle of her pillow. some of its petals are burned, as if a hand of fire had picked it and had unfortunately not been able to fully preserve its purity. 

  
  


picking it, she turns it in her hand, observing the foreign element. and when she puts it back down to its initial place, too exhausted to deal with this, she seriously thinks she might be going insane.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


the silence they find themselves in is one that lasts much longer than either of them meant it to, words hard to find in such a moment. 

  
  


nayeon is not even staring at her anymore and instead stands up, walking toward the field of blooming flowers without ever glancing back behind herself. she doesn’t need to, not when she knows that sana won’t be leaving unless she herself decides to- a fallen angel is not able to travel through worlds, may it be to enter or to leave hell or heaven, and if it weren’t for her, sana would have surely never put a foot here again. 

  
  


she remembers the day she was herself banned from heaven, the look of utter betrayal in sana’s eyes as she’d glanced back to look at her one last time, the disapproval in her sister’s expression, fondness still somewhat shining in the dark glare she had always reserved for her in front of their father. the words that sealed her destiny and made her who she now is, in all of her selfishness and arrogance. it’s something she’s thought about a lot- how hell changed her and forced her to become what she despised. 

but after some time as the devil, nayeon understood something about hell, demons and sins. and contrary to what her father had always insisted on, there never were good and bad people, never someone who so happened to be born on one side of the balance and would unfortunately be sent to hell when the time came, nor the contrary. the potential to become this creature most would define as a monster had always been dormant in her heart, until something- her father’s words and constant beliting, certainly- had made it all resurface.

  
  


she wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. to be imprisoned by your darkest desires and hateful traits. 

  
  


and as sana joins her, standing next to her and looking down at the small river she spent centuries creating, a bridge joining two sides of a world she’d grown to love, her heart aches for the angel she knows sana loved being.

  
  


“you could have avoided this. you had a life back in heaven, and i’m sure my sister would have allowed you to come back.” her hands settle on the wooden railing, feeling the old acacia crumble slightly under her hand. “there’s no going back from falling, i know this better than anyone.”

  
  


“i could have avoided it, you’re right.” sana sighs, brushing brown hair behind her ear, a small and discreet diamond shining there. “i had to watch as my wings turned dark the more i spent time on earth, around you. but i chose that, i chose to let go of such an important part of my life just like i would have chosen you all these years ago. but you never asked, because you always believed you needed to act like some kind of life saving hero even when i didn’t need to be saved.”

  
  


there’s venom flowing in her words, but her tone stays calm, her voice never rising because she knows a screaming match is not what will get them to make progress. that’s how it always ended in the past, with one of them crying through their anger and refusing to listen, but today is different. today, nayeon’s hold on the barrier doesn’t tighten nor does it burn, the fresh scent of flowers still taking over the place. today, they both promised to listen, attentively, no matter what words they might hear.

  
  


“you don’t know what it was like for me here, alone. i had to build this place on my own as everyone i had ever known and loved turned their back to me. the fire i can breathe is one i had to endure first.” her expression shifts from anger to a distinct sadness sana can not help but notice. it’s enough for her to know nayeon is genuinely pouring her heart out to her. “i know you’re angry, i know you wish i’d given you a choice. but when i tried to lead what some might have called a revolution in order to make my own father fall, i knew what would happen. and i would make the same choice today.”

  
  


“then why didn’t you tell me this back then?” her own voice sounds hurt, tears forming in her eyes, and she coughs in her hand quietly to try and make the ache spreading in her chest and encircling her throat with chains to leave. “i sent you so many letters, asked for an explanation so often, but you never replied.”

  
  


“the devil doesn’t love, sana.” nayeon blinks back her own tears, silently acknowledging the fact that she hasn’t cried in centuries, scared of the scars a single salty tear could leave in its wake. “at least she didn’t, not before… earth, i suppose. i built this entire place myself because i knew, deep down, that you were once important to me in a way i couldn’t quite explain. the memories i had of you all stayed stored between these walls, and i came to reminisce them every day, wondering if it would someday bring me to feeling… whatever we had again.”

  
  


nayeon doesn’t know what to expect from making such a confession, doesn’t know if sana will simply refuse to believe each of her words in order to continue on the path the desire for revenge brought her on. certainly because if she were in her place, she would have done so.

  
  


but that’s the thing about sana. she never truly was like her, never truly was a demon nor an angel, contrary to nayeon who had willingly asked tzuyu to cut her own wings, letting go of a part of her life she simply did not want to acknowledge anymore. and instead of reacting like she would have, sana simply takes a step closer and wraps an arm around her waist, her head leaning onto nayeon’s shoulder.

  
  


this silence is different, softer. 

  
  


nayeon simply sighs although the smile slowly spreading on her lips gives an entirely different feel, giving into sana’s plea to return the affection, and leans against her in return, eyes still focused on the almost magical scenery. 

  
  


“did i make you remember?” she whispers, her breath tickling the side of nayeon’s neck.

  
  


“i guess you got help from someone else but… yes, i know now. and,” she takes a deep breath, palms burning not from the need to call for fire and destruction, but from the fact that there is no going back anymore. not now that sana knows what she has brought her here to say, what took her so long to realize. “i wanted to see this place one last time, to see it and finally be able to feel.”

  
  


“i think we might need to talk about the part we’ve left out now, then.”

  
  


nayeon chuckles, and suddenly, the fire is back in her eyes.

  
  


“i think we do, yes.”

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


mina has not seen sana and nayeon since they mysteriously disappeared in front of her very eyes four days ago. oddly enough, she expected this to happen the second they left, and still today she’s not sure if she’ll get to see them ever again. 

  
  


never truly convincing herself, she tries to think that yes, she will. they’ll come back when they deem it necessary, and hopefully by then, there won’t be any secrets nor suppressed anger left between the two. she hopes that wherever they are, they’re finally being honest to each other, no matter where that might lead them. and with some luck, it might bring them to her again, for all she knows.

  
  


but confusing feelings and endless possibilities are not something mina can simply leave be. not when she was formed into becoming one of the best detectives of the city, used to catching criminals of various kinds effortlessly and even more so with nayeon by her side. 

  
  


simply put, mina can not go on with her life and pretend none of this happened.

  
  


instead, she searches for an empty wall in the apartment she shares with her daughter and takes a few days off, and as soon as she’s made sure nari has safely arrived at school, she begins to investigate.

  
  


a few pictures of nayeon land on the wall, and soon, they’re all linked together by a thin red thread, no matter how cliché that might look. she searches for a picture of sana in her phone and successfully finds the perfect one, a photo she herself took as sana proudly showed the camera the teddy bear she’d won effortlessly. the bright smile of the woman she’d always believed to be closer to an angel than a human warms her heart and she pauses to stare at the picture for a short moment, distracted from her initial mission.

  
  


and once she’s done, finally able to look away from the mess her wall has now become, she brings a chair in front of it and tries to remember anything that could lead her to believe that nayeon is not human.

  
  


her mind is immediately brought back to their first interaction, the moment her life shifted, as if leaving the axis of the destiny she’d been supposed to follow all along. for a second, she allows herself to get distracted again, reminded of how much her life has changed since meeting nayeon. not only did she gain an annoying coworker as she had first believed, but she also found a friend in a woman she would have usually despised. a friend that had turned into more although she couldn’t exactly explain why.

  
  


contrary to sana, nayeon never truly showed her any kind of interest- or at least not outwardly.

  
  


that’s what had made her doubt at first, when she had believed to have everything figured out. she couldn't understand if nayeon ever truly cared, nor could she ever read through her eyes like she could through sana’s. and then it hit her one day as nayeon brought her a sixth box of donuts and looked hurt when mina told her she wanted to be left alone in a tone that left no place for discussion. it hit her that nayeon indeed could feel for others as well as she did for herself, and from that moment, she knew.

  
  


blinking, she realizes she got lost in thoughts again and sighs, bringing the wooden tip of the pencil she planned on using to take notes to her lips and biting onto it slightly. 

  
  


grabbing the small spiderman notebook she stole from her daughter’s bedroom, mina begins to write down about every little thing nayeon has done that no human would be capable of, directing her searches towards trying to figure out if she is indeed some kind of demon living on earth and terrorizing people through her words instead of doing something she would expect of an actual devil- it always made sense to her that a demon would be killing humans, not making them really tasty drinks at a bar.

  
  


other than the many times nayeon very seriously referred to herself as the devil, mina remembers the dozen of criminals she made confess in a single look. she’s no expert on the devil, but she supposes that does seem pretty out of their world- and unless nayeon is skilled in hypnosis, there are high chances for this to have been supernatural.

  
  


then, she remembers the day a suspect ran away and nayeon didn’t move, instead watching as mina bolted after him, screaming at him to stop. and when he had disappeared from her view for a short instant and she’d expected him to have escaped, she had come face to face with nayeon holding him by the collar of his shirt with a single hand, his feet battling in the void as he begged her to let go.

  
  


the adrenaline coursing through her veins then had certainly explained why she didn’t pay much attention to the fact that nayeon did not even run and didn’t look out of breath in the slightest compared to her, but today, she sees it from a different perspective. 

  
  


and this new perspective is making her realize just how oblivious to all of this she had been. 

  
  


because really, if she had taken some time to simply open her eyes and understand what was happening, it would have barely taken any time for her to reach the conclusion she’s about to get to. she’s a detective after all, things like those are not supposed to go unnoticed by her, especially not when they’re happening right in front of her eyes without any attempt at staying hidden.

  
  


and really, mina wants to be angry at nayeon for lying, for pretending to be a simple human and getting so close to her and to her daughter.

  
  


but the thing is, she never once lied, never did she do anything to hurt mina, never did she keep the very obvious and yet unbelievable truth from her. if anything, she believes she should be angry at herself.

  
  


“are you making a collage for nayeon’s birthday?” nari asks on that same evening when she arrives home to see the odd project mina got herself in. and really, why try to find a different answer when she gave her the perfect one already? mina truly believes lying to be easier when she simply has to follow her daughter’s initial idea.

  
  


“yes, a collage on the detective theme. she seems to like being one a lot so, i thought she might enjoy it.”

  
  


mother and daughter stare at the wall for a few seconds, mina holding in her breath as she waits and hopes for nari to get distracted by something before she begins to read through her lies. that’s not exactly what happens, but she supposes it could be worse.

  
  


“enjoy it? oh, she definitely won’t.” and nari genuinely seems to be feeling bad about her sudden honesty, but mina can read in her eyes that she’s only trying to help

i could make her a drawing though, she really likes that.”

  
  


“sure, a drawing is good, my little artist.” ruffling her brown hair until she whines and runs away to her room, mina laughs, staring again at her creation on the wall and undeniably reaching the same conclusion as her daughter. this would be an awful birthday gift, truly.

  
  


on that same night, as she thinks back to the fact that she might have just discovered one of the world’s best kept secrets and biggest mystery, mina doesn’t know how to feel. the spiderman notebook is on her bedside table, but she remembers every word she wrote far too well to need to go through it again. instead, she lays on her back, staring at the white ceiling and letting her mind run free.

  
  


the current most plausible answer is that nayeon is the devil. and by definition, evil. so her reaction should be simple, really. in all logic, she should be hoping for her to never come back, and if it ever happened, she should be ready to protect herself and her family from the powers she knows nayeon has.

  
  


but then, mina thinks about her daughter and the fact that she spent two hours on a drawing for nayeon, and about the times nayeon came over and proved that she truly cares for her- she knows any attempt nayeon made to prove the contrary only made nari like her more, after all. and it’s hard to imagine her ever trying to hurt them.

  
  


when sleep takes over, mina is convinced that whatever nayeon is, sana is too. 

  
  


but her dreams are nothing like the nightmares she expected, and instead, she sees them both standing on a bridge, hand in hand.

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


a week later, mina is getting impatient. 

  
  


every day she wakes up to the same sight, a white flower she made research on and that, it seems, is called an edelweiss. every day, she opens her eyes and wonders if it will be there, waiting by her pillow. and it’s always there, a constant reminder of who she should be waiting for.

  
  


but today, mina has decided she’s tired of turning in circles with the few information she has about nayeon, even less about sana. because even if she trusts them, even if she never once believed sana to have been lying during the time they spent together, she wants more. she wants more than memories of her heartwarming smile, more than lies about a job she certainly never had and a past she must have fabricated so as to fit the human image she tried to give.

  
  


and the only place left for her to find some more answers is not on one of her living room walls, but the place where everything began, months ago.

  
  


“i’m here to see nayeon, she has been missing for over a week now.” mina reaches for her badge as soon as she steps into the empty nightclub, a woman dressed in tight dark purple leather pants coming out of the darkness to greet her. she glances down at the police badge but doesn’t seem to care much about mina’s job, simply smirking as she stares at her up and down.

  
  


“so you’re mina then.”

  
  


“who told you about me?”

  
  


“nayeon… didn’t know she was into blondes, too angel-like, really.” tzuyu says, still not exactly acknowledging mina’s first question. instead, she walks around her in circles, only stopping when mina grabs her wrist to get her to stop. “feisty too… that’s new. let’s talk somewhere more private.” the detective hesitates, hold on her badge tightening, and she realizes she has no weapon on her and therefore no way to defend herself if it ever comes to that. and the woman mina supposes is called tzuyu- nayeon often told her about the girl she had watched grow and been a parental figure for- inspires her anything but actual safety. “don’t worry, i haven’t tortured anyone in ages.”

  
  


her steps falter as she follows tzuyu upstairs, but the chuckle she hears reassures her into thinking this is nothing but a bad joke. hopefully.

  
  


taking a seat on a red leather couch, she watches as tzuyu opens a small cabinet and proposes various types of alcohol to her. mina strongly refuses the offer, not much of a drinker anyway, and gulps when she looks around the room to notice a few burned elements. there are obvious traces of fire on the walls, and the furniture isn’t in much better shape.

  
  


“sorry about that,” tzuyu says between two sips, noticing where mina’s attention is being directed. “nayeon had a small breakdown over you and i haven’t had time to replace all of the furniture yet.”

  
  


“over… me?”

  
  


“come on, don’t tell me you’re as oblivious as she is.” tzuyu sighs, bringing the half-empty glass to the glass coffee table. her stance is one that reminds her a lot of nayeon, and it’s easy to understand that tzuyu is certainly not very human either. the power she oozes, may it be unintentionally or in order to scare mina in her own way, does not go unnoticed to her at all. “what do you want to know about her?”

  
  


“she hasn’t answered my calls in days, nor did she pass by the station like she usually does. i thought you might have an idea of where she is.” she knows it’s not exactly the whole truth, that she’s here for answers about where nayeon went but also about who she really is, but something tells her she should be careful with the words she chooses around tzuyu. out of all the options she has, tzuyu is her last and most valuable one. ruining this would bring her back to the beginning, and she doesn’t intend on putting pictures of nayeon all over the wall again.

  
  


and yet, something also gives her the feeling that she’s not being as subtle as she initially believed, a secretive smirk gracing the young demon’s lips. 

  
  


“nayeon didn’t tell me she was leaving, any less where.” mina’s shoulders drop as she loses all hope of finding her before nayeon decides she wants to be found, but that’s thankfully not where she stops. “the last time she did this was to go on a short trip to hell, so i think that’s where she is. who knows with her though, she might as well have gone on an improvised vacation.”

  
  


“h-hell?” the detective coughs in her hand, the surprise brought by her words making her stutter. “as in… biblical hell?”

  
  


“don’t tell me you didn’t know nayeon is the devil… i would hate to have to go through the entire story on my own especially since i have a picnic date with my girlfriend in thirty minutes and no offense but she’s a lot more interesting to be with than you are.” tzuyu nervously glances at her watch, frowning when she realizes so much time has already passed since mina arrived. 

  
  


“oh you have a girlfriend? hope you two are happy together.” mina politely answers, watching as tzuyu’s demeanor entirely changes.

  
  


an unexpected smile replaces the earlier arrogant smirk, and it feels so genuine that it confuses mina for a short instant, until she understands what prompted it. “yes, we’re really happy. she never minded the fact that i’m a demon and occasionally feel the need to kill humans and that's just… really sweet of her.” a light pink brush spreads up to her ears and if mina had doubts about her being in love, it would be enough to convince her of the contrary. it almost makes her forget about the whole murder part, although she instinctively looks for the closest way out of the room- just in case it comes to that.

  
  


“that’s… really good then. is that something nayeon does too?”

  
  


it’s a question mina wishes she never had to ask, but she supposes it’s unavoidable now that the possibility of the answer to her fears being affirmative has been brought back to the front of her mind. and as she considers it herself, thinking about nayeon doing something she’s supposed to be fighting against, she feels her blood turn cold. 

  
  


“nayeon is not a demon, she’s the devil. to keep it short, she never truly hurts anyone unless they have themselves committed a crime and have been sent to hell. i don’t think she has hurt a single human during her stay on earth though- i mean, if we ignore the ones she might have unintentionally led to their death, but that’s nothing to worry about. i think.”

  
  


“and… how exactly do i get to hell?”

  
  


tzuyu blinks, seemingly confused, and bursts into light laughter when it hits her that mina is being entirely serious. 

  
  


“i can think of a few ways to send you down there. but i’m not sure nayeon would want you dead, and with the purity you radiate, i think there are higher chances for you to end up in heaven anyway.”

  
  


it takes a few seconds for mina to understand what tzuyu is saying, the demon standing from her spot on the couch to grab the dagger she kept strapped to her belt, and she’s quick to strongly deny the idea, standing as well and slowly walking backwards toward the entrance. “i won’t go then, waiting is fine with me. really.”

  
  


“ah, that’s a relief. blood is so annoying to get off of my clothes, i would have had to go all stained on our date.” tzuyu still holds onto the dagger, and mina wishes she would bring it back to where it was, hidden under her belt. “anyway, i think you should leave now. i have to feed kookeu before leaving.”

  
  


and really, mina doesn’t need to be asked twice. she walks hurriedly toward the entrance of the club, hearing tzuyu’s fast footsteps following after her, almost in sync with the rapid beating of her heart. 

  
  


but right before she leaves, she turns around, finding tzuyu standing way too close to her, and takes a deep breath- mostly to give herself courage and not run away from here as fast as her legs would allow her to. 

  
  


“when do you think nayeon will be back?”

  
  


“time in hell is very different from earth. everything goes a lot faster here, so in her mind, she probably has been gone for a single day.” tzuyu folds her arms, frowning as she thinks about an answer that would please mina. “she should be back by next week. she likes you too much not to shorten her stay there.”

  
  


on the way home, mina feels like she’s just escaped death. 

  
  


but she at least knows what to expect, and will be waiting with a slightly more precise goal in mind.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“mina is special, or at least, i’d like to believe so.” nayeon’s voice is close to a whisper, certainly because she has never voiced her feelings before. all of this feels so new, so unexplainable, that finding the right words to put onto the wave that has crashed over her life and forever changed it is not an easy task. she’s not well-versed in romance, feelings and confessions. but sana is here to help, and it surprisingly works.

  
  


“she is to me as well. i can’t exactly explain why, and if it weren’t for you i would have certainly never even met her and yet… she’s so much more than that. i think,” sana pauses, breathing deeply as she pulls away from nayeon’s hold to stare at her, not avoiding eye contact for once. “we might not be able to explain it but we feel the same way.”

  
  


the devil scoffs, nodding, and the next thing she knows sana reaches for her cheek to tilt her face toward her own. 

  
  


“this isn’t exactly… normal, i’d say.”

  
  


sana raises an eyebrow at that, watching as nayeon slowly loses her composure before her eyes. 

  
  


“and what about it?” she reaches for her free hand, the one that let go of the wooden railing, and holds onto it tightly, the warmth coming from nayeon’s hand engulfed in hers. “i think there’s nothing we can do or plan before we talk to her. because for all we know, she might not even like one of us and any less the both of us. but we said we would be honest to 

before it comes to that, so don’t think about what-ifs but about what you feel.”

  
  


“i feel for you as much as i do for her.”

  
  


sana gets closer to the devil, until their noses are almost touching. but no one closes the last bit of distance left between them, that’s not what this moment is for, after all.

  
  


“good. that’s good.” her face breaks into a bright smile, and nayeon has to bite her lip to keep her lips from mirroring it. “me too.”

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


on that one particular day, there’s no flower on her pillow. and it’s the only change from the routine she has now gotten used to, the only detail that has made her day different, which is why she immediately thinks today must be the day.

  
  


it seemed obvious to her that nayeon and sana were the ones leaving a flower next to her everyday, because who else could be able to apparate in her room for such a task and disappear right after, as if nothing had even happened. at first, she’d wondered if it was all an illusion all along, if she had been getting hallucinations and all of this research about nayeon and sana had driven her crazy. but after nari asked her about the many flowers she kept on her bedside table, she got the confirmation that it was not all happening in her mind.

  
  


and yet, mina was wrong about a small detail.

  
  


nayeon and sana have not left hell a single time since they left earth. but someone else has been paying her a visit, and today is indeed the day, the day she meets her guest for the first time.

  
  


“what-” she jumps back inside of her bedroom when she opens her door to find a blonde haired angel- with the wings and the halo and everything, and there’s no way for her to believe to have been wrong anymore- on the other side of it. her first reflex was to close it behind herself, and she’s left panting, leaning back against the heavy mahogany in case her legs give out under her and she falls down to the floor. 

  
  


she waits for a few minutes, not hearing a single sound coming from the other side, and she’s glad that nari is spending the weekend with her grandparents or else she would have probably not been able to hide for much longer. there’s a stranger in her apartment after all- an angel, if her eyes did not lie- and she’s hiding in her bedroom. that’s definitely not how she expected her day to go.

  
  


“who are you?” she asks, glancing at her bedside table and the gun she keeps there, wondering if she should risk leaving the door in order to get there. 

  
  


“i’m not here to hurt you, mina.” the stranger’s voice is soft, and it succeeds in inspiring trust in her even though she should be feeling the exact contrary of that. “i simply need to talk to you, and from what i’ve observed, i’m sure there’s a lot i could tell you about.” 

  
  


and really, she knows she might end up getting killed by whoever is standing on the other side of her bedroom door, especially after tzuyu made it clear that although nayeon might be slightly different, demons kill humans and do so without an ounce of remorse. for all she knows, this woman could be disguised as an angel to gain her trust and have contrasting intentions.

  
  


but something tells her this is the only way to find the truth. and as she stands from the wooden floor and turns to open the door, the click of the doorknob echoing in her ears, she truly hopes to come alive out of this. 

  
  


“are you an…” for a reason, she can’t bring herself to say it out loud, to tell someone about what she might have found out about in case this woman simply dressed earlier than planned for halloween and might call her crazy.

  
  


“an angel?” she chuckles, but her smile does not look mocking. “i am that and a lot more. you’ve met my sister already, but i am thankfully a bit more level-headed.”

  
  


“you’re sana’s sister?” 

  
  


“oh, no, not at all.” the angel laughs, mirth flashing in her eyes, and confuses mina even more

sana is an old friend i suppose. my sister is a bit more devilish and has a slightly bigger ego.”

and really, mina knows it can’t be nayeon, because there’s no way the devil’s sister is an angel. she had trouble accepting the fact that nayeon dated one in the first place and wonders how that came to be, but that’s certainly the only angel she’d ever frequented. 

“you don’t mean…” for a detective, she really has not been able to ask very coherent questions to the woman in front of her, and she’s almost ashamed to say she’s making her lose her composure so easily- although she believes that anyone who would be faced by an angel would have a similar reaction.

  
  


“yes, i do. but let’s go somewhere else to talk about this, shall we.” 

  
  


the angel extends her hand toward mina, wings a blinding white behind herself. and without thinking twice about it, she takes it in hers, and feels the floor move under her feet.

  
  
  


\----- 

  
  
  


“couldn’t you dress a bit better? we’re about to confess to mina and you couldn’t even dress up correctly.” 

  
  


“what’s wrong with my outfit?” sana pouts, looking down at the jeans she put on when they passed by her hotel room. the dress she had worn on her date with mina is not one she had bought to keep for such a long period of time and the sigh of relief that slipped past her lips when she took it off made that very clear. “it’s comfortable.”

  
  


“have you ever seen me wearing comfortable clothes? no, and there’s a reason for that.” nayeon’s hand hovers next to the door of mina’s apartment as she waits for sana to give her a sign for her to knock. “if she rejects us, i’ll be blaming you.”

  
  


nayeon ignores the glare she receives from sana, the mood already far too tense for them to add fighting to it. never in her life, on earth, hell or even heaven, did nayeon have to confess to someone with such stress regarding where that would lead her. it was all too easy with sana, a teenage love that had never really stopped, and confessing had been as simple as a shy kiss and a promise to never let anyone separate them. but today, she knows it won’t be the same. 

  
  


if it goes well, it will surely take a lot more than a kiss for mina to accept the fact that there’s nothing truly human about them.

  
  


if it goes wrong, nayeon isn’t sure of what will happen. she has sana now, after all, and although they haven’t yet agreed on anything before talking to mina, she wonders if they would be ready to start something again if it was just them.

  
  


and what scares her above everything, what pushes the devil to wait for a few more seconds before knocking and having no turning back, is the fact that deep down, she’s not sure a life without mina as much as a life without sana would please her in any way.

  
  


the tap of her knuckles against the heavy wooden door echoes in her ears like the music of a dramatic film that plays before the ending, a music that could lead to both greatness and despair, and sana reaches for her free to hold onto it tightly, as if it were the only way to keep herself grounded in such a moment.

  
  


and the music continues to play in her mind, the rhythm increasing with every second that passes, and for a reason, she interprets this as the outcome of this journey she and sana both decided to follow not ending how they wanted it to.

  
  


in a way, nayeon is right. none of what they’re going to find in the apartment could lead to what they currently desire. 

  
  


“she might not be home, right?” sana asks after a prolonged silence, five minutes having passed since nayeon last knocked. 

  
  


“it’s too early for her to be at the station. she’s got to be here.” 

  
  


“i can’t feel her soul anymore now that i lost most of my powers.”

  
  


nayeon sighs, and reaches for the doorknob. “i’ll open the door, but if she didn’t want to see us-”

  
  


“you’ll be blaming me again, yes, i know. now open.”

  
  


with a click, the lock opens and nayeon pushes the door, not yet entering as she expects mina to be waiting behind it. but the sight that greet her is entirely different, because there’s absolutely no one in the whole apartment.

  
  


she makes sure to call out her name, in case mina was in the shower and couldn’t hear her knocking, but no one ever answers, and although she can feel that someone was here not long ago, the energy that comes from them is not exactly mina’s. no, it feels more pure, and as she tries to focus on it, it feels as if a blinding light pierces through her heart. 

  
  


“hey, did you send mina flowers?” sana’s voice comes from mina’s bedroom, and she takes one last look at the living room before joining her there, her heart racing uncomfortably. 

  
  


“not recently, no.”

  
  


“then what’s all this?” 

  
  


the devil comes to a stop in front of sana, and suddenly, it hits her. 

  
  


this aura of utter and complete pureness, of an angel that has never known bad for she has always been bathed in good, of a soul she was never truly close to, but who never truly was insignificant to her.

  
  


“my sister has been here.” nayeon’s hands clench into fists, her voice vibrating with anger. “and i think i know where mina is.”

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“i have to say this is pretty close to how i imagined heaven to be. just a bit less clouds.”

  
  


“oh, we have quite enough of those here to be honest. and with how hard it becomes to see on certain days, i hope for it to stay that way.” momo leads the way, walking in front of her toward what looks like a wide garden of the same flowers she received every day. “would you mind taking a walk here with me?”

  
  


“i don’t think i have much of a choice anyway.” she mumbles under her breath, momo falling in her step as they slowly follow a relaxing stone path. 

  
  


“you’re free to go whenever you want to. but if you don’t let me finish, i might have to wipe all of this from your memory, and i truly would rather not.” 

  
  


the detective pauses in her steps for a moment, momo turning back to face her with a light enigmatic smile. 

  
  


“do you often bring humans to heaven?”

  
  


“no, just you.”

  
  


and really, mina wants to trust momo. she now knows a bit more about the mysterious angel, starting with her name and her true identity, and that should be reassuring in a way. but the fact that she’s nayeon’s sister is not exactly much of a relief, not when nayeon is the actual devil and has demons for friends, not when for all she knows, momo could turn out to be just as evil if not more.

  
  


but she also reminds her of sana, and that’s what gives her the bravery to continue, what keeps her from feeling like she’s walking toward her end. 

  
  


“and, what did you need me here for?”

  
  


“you’re special, myoui mina.”

  
  


“special how?” she asks, chuckling in a humorless laugh when momo refuses to clearly tell her what her intentions are. 

  
  


“not many humans manage to catch the interest of both an angel and the devil herself. excuse me for considering you as special, but even here, angels who are ready to lose their home for a human are rare.”

  
  


a light breeze dances around them, brushing the leaves of the tall thin white trees that are scattered all around the flower forest. it lightens the escalating mood, and it somehow hits her that she’s walking with an angel in heaven, and all of this has nothing to do with a very well orchestrated bad joke. 

  
  


“are nayeon and sana… together?” her question is timid, and certainly bolder than what she should have started with. for all she knows, momo might not want to get involved in the romantic mess the three of them find themselves stuck in, and she wouldn’t exactly blame her for it.

  
  


but judging by the light laugh she allows to slip past pink lips, momo knew she wouldn't be able to control her curiosity, knew that such a question would come up at some point.

  
  


“right now? who knows, i haven’t seen them since you last did.” the angel is never quite looking at her, instead admiring the scenery as if it held more meaning to her than mina could understand. “i’ve seen you figured out a lot about nayeon’s life, but i think you missed one important detail. we were both born from the same father, and both once held the same title. she grew up here, as an angel, and so did sana. but falling in love is frowned upon in heaven, and unless god himself allows you to live with your other half, most angels are doomed to be alone for most of their lives.”

  
  


“is that why they broke up?” 

  
  


momo comes to a stop at the edge of a cliff, and she stops a few feet behind her, not interested in finding out just how high it is. clouds are almost at her level in the valley, and she can see a wide white structure in the middle, as if floating on a cloud.

  
  


“nayeon has absolutely never followed the rules our father set. no, that’s not what led them to breaking up. and to be honest with you mina, i’m not sure they ever truly did.” momo sighs before turning back to face her, once again extending a hand to mina. “they couldn’t stay together because my father threw nayeon in hell and forced her to rule it as a punishment for thinking by herself, outside of the common good. which brings us to the second reason as to why i brought you here.”

  
  


the detective’s eyes trail down from honest brown eyes that remind her of nayeon for they burn but from a seemingly different fuel to the outstretched hand waiting for her. and quite like she did before, she barely hesitates before reaching for it.

  
  


she blinks, and when she opens her eyes again, momo is nowhere to be seen.

  
  


instead, she finds herself alone in an empty hallway, probably in the large structure she had previously seen in the distance. it looks just as big from the inside, and she feels tiny even in a simple hallway, the ceiling as high as the building she lives in, the walls entirely white save for a few golden ornamentations. 

  
  


she waits for a short moment, wondering if this is a test she’s supposed to succeed at, but when nothing comes, she begins to walk toward the only door she can see, at the end of the long corridor.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“my powers are useless in front of my own father. i can’t believe the only way he could find to bring me back here was to steal my perhaps-soon-to-be girlfriend from me. why is he always involved in my personal business.”

  
  


it took them no more than ten seconds to know they would be going to heaven as well, and nayeon wouldn’t say she exactly regrets it. it’s the only way to find mina, after all. because out of all the places her sister could have brought her, this is the only one that could somehow make sense.

  
  


but as she appears in the middle of a square, busy angels flying around her, sana by her side whose large black wings are impossible to ignore in a world where white predominates, she almost wishes they could turn back time to the moment they left for hell.

  
  


if only she had been able to control herself and have an entirely serious and grown-up conversation with mina and sana back then, all of this would have been avoidable. 

  
  


“you’ll be just fine. i can’t even use my wings anymore, imagine how powerless i feel right now.”

  
  


“hope you won’t get mad if i try to protect you again then.” 

  
  


ignoring the shocked cries of low ranking angels around them, nayeon turns around on herself, searching for the path that leads to her father’s quarters. it’s been a while since she last saw heaven, and she tries to ignore each of the buildings and small details that remind her of old memories she has just recently learned to let go of.

  
  


and really, she doesn’t need to think about the kids she and sana once were, and how they would run along the same path she heads onto, loud laughter of the artificial freedom they had both created for themselves echoing between these white concrete walls.

  
  


“i still have my fists, although i hope it won’t get to that.”

  
  


“who knew falling would turn you into such a demon wannabe. ouch-”

  
  


nayeon rubs the sore spot on her arm as sana passes her without ever looking back, the devil pouting for the rest of the way.

  
  


in both of their minds, whatever nayeon’s father has planned could never end without a fight. and sure, that’s not very angelic, and god has never favored fighting and made sure to educate his daughters according to such values- that had obviously not turned out well for one of them although the other has always made him proud. but she can't imagine it going any other way.

  
  


and as the bridge of glass that leads to what used to be her home, grandiose and standing tall in the middle of the only bit of wilderness of heaven, nayeon is more apprehensive than ever. it reminds her of the day she fell, of the moment she was made prisoner and brought to her knees in front of her father’s throne. the shame she had felt back then had mixed with an undying rage born from having to watch as everyone made of her an example- this was the first time anyone had called her evil, a trait she had embraced after a few days spent in hell.

  
  


the fear of having to go through all of that again, of her father having found a way to force her to rule hell for the rest of her immortal life, banning her from earth, is what makes her slow down. sana seems to understand all of that, her steps faltering as she holds her hand once again, squeezing it lightly, the only kind of reassurance that works on nayeon being non-verbal. 

  
  


the gates are never guarded, certainly because no one would ever try anything. nayeon was enough to dissuade anyone from ever hoping for more, after all. and passing through them makes her heart ache uncomfortably as she drags her feet toward their final goal.

  
  


“this family reunion needed to happen at some point anyway, don’t you think?” sana’s voice is not louder than a whisper, and yet it echoes between the walls of the palace as if she had screamed into the void. 

  
  


“it did.” and nayeon knows sana is right. she had never truly gotten over her past, and choosing to let go is what she wished she could have done, what would have certainly allowed her to truly feel herself again. “but i wish mina had not been involved in this.”

  
  


little did nayeon know that without mina, no kind of reunion would have ever taken place. may it be with the woman by her arm, or with the family she long ago stopped considering as such.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


if anything, finding out about angels and demons not being born from a human’s wild imagination and getting brought to heaven was nothing in comparison to what mina is now witnessing.

  
  


he had never really been a believer to begin with, and if someone had interrogated her on the existence of god, her answer would have been different from the one she would now be choosing.

  
  


having tea with god himself does have that effect on someone, it seems.

  
  


“hope it is to your tastes, my daughter said you were fond of green tea.”

  
  


mina smiles nervously, taking renewed interest in the fuming beverage as she desperately tries to avoid eye contact. it’s not exactly easy, not when the small table they’re sitting around has them closer than she’d like, but she’s thankful for the spot it’s in, wide glass walls giving them a perfect view of the scenery. 

  
  


she only registers his words after long seconds of silence, and her detective skills aren’t needed for her to know who exactly his daughter could be. but because she still has some difficulty with understanding how nayeon could have gone from living here and being an angel herself to turning into the devil, it takes some time for her to connect him to nayeon.

  
  


the amused glint that shines in the brown of his eyes, a color that reminds her of nayeon although with a look that makes him seem wiser, is certainly what gives it away.

  
  


“d-do you mean…”

  
  


“i’m not sure nayeon would still call me dad, but that’s who i was to her once.” 

  
  


she freezes with the cup halfway to her mouth, eyes widening in understanding, and she quickly pretends to sip some more of the warm tea because that’s the only way she finds not to have to immediately answer. 

  
  


“but that’s what i invited you here to discuss anyway.” the man leans back in his seat, an eternal smile on his lips giving him a mysterious look, and mina feels as if he knows everything, from each and every details of her life to the thoughts currently animating her mind.

  
  


“i’m still unsure about the reason for my stay here, in all honesty. momo wasn’t very talkative about this, and i fear that there’s not much i could do for you.”

  
  


“oh, i did not expect anything from you. quite the contrary, actually.” her hands stay wrapped around the cup of tea, bathing in the reassuring warmth it emits. “there’s something i would like to give you, a gift of sort.”

  
  


that catches her interest, and she raises an eyebrow curiously, nodding, a sign for him to continue.

  
  


the words that follow are enough for her to entirely forget about the now cold tea in her hands. 

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“so, let’s say there’s an army waiting for us behind that door. what do you do?”

  
  


“i run away, probably.”

  
  


“nayeon… can you please focus for a second!” sana sighs exasperatedly, hands framing nayeon’s face as she forces her to stare straight at her. it barely works, nayeon’s eyes trailing down to land on soft pink lips, and she has to control herself to pinch her ear again to get her to stop. “you’re the only one with powers here, i need you. and mina does too.”

  
  


“wow, how sweet.” the devil grabs sana’s hands and brings them back down to her side although she doesn’t let go.

  
  


“we need to plan this, stop playing around and thinking we can get out of this altogether with some luck.” 

  
  


“father does not need an army to bring me down if that’s what he wants to achieve anyway, sana. but if you want a plan, i’ll give you one: we run in there, grab mina, and i bring us to hell. the only problem is that i’m not sure a human could withstand the heat- nor the roaming demons, really.”

  
  


they banter in front of the door that leads to the throne room for long minutes, sana clearly not convinced by nayeon’s plan and nayeon not exactly trying to elaborate one. and it only hits them later on that mina might be in potential danger and all of this is nothing but a waste of time.

  
  


“if mina ends up burned-”

  
  


“i get it, we’ll be blaming each other if anything happens anyway.”

  
  


and without another warning, nayeon pushes the double doors open, bracing herself for the fight of her life. 

  
  


as expected, loud noises that sound very much like the weapons humans are fond of on earth echo in the large throne room, and sana hides behind nayeon, the devil simply hiding her face behind her hands. she can’t see anything at first, and the smell of burned paper reaches them. she only pulls her hands away from her face when she makes an inventory of herself and realizes she’s not hurting and still intact.

  
  


and really, the sight that greets her is almost as awful as an army of fighting angels- minus the risk of someone dying, that is.

  
  


“you ruined the whole confetti surprise!” momo whines, petulantly throwing her party hat to the floor. “i spent weeks planning this, you could have at least looked at it.”

  
  


nayeon is frozen for long seconds, eyes going from the colored paper shreds scattered on the floor to the red and yellow hat her sister had been wearing, ending on the angels who are all scared, waiting for her reaction and expecting her to breathe fire judging by the way some of them step further away from her. sana is still clinging on her suit jacket, eyes tightly closed, and she nudges her shoulder multiple times before she understands they’re not facing danger anymore. 

  
  


a banner that reads ‘welcome home please don’t burn anything’ takes most of the wall, hung over the throne her father is currently oddly not sitting on, and she blinks, confused.

  
  


“tell me there was a killing gaz mixed in with the confetti and we’re about to drop down to the floor in pain…”

  
  


“hmm, no, no killing gaz.” momo shakes her head, motioning for the angels surrounding them to leave the room. “but i baked you a cake! i stole your recipe, actually, so you should like it.”

  
  


sana steps away from behind nayeon to stare at momo with wide eyes of disbelief, almost forgetting about what they came here to do in the first place.

  
  


“momo, are you alright?”

  
  


“sorry, did i seem too affectionate?” she cringes, scratching her forehead nervously. “father said that might freak you out a bit, but i’m just so excited to see you here again. we all are, really.”

  
  


“your guests looked like you threatened and forced them to be here, so i’m not sure about that.”

  
  


“they still haven’t gotten over the whole devil thing, but that’s just so sixth century.” momo sighs, brushing the thought away with a move of her hand as she walks closer to nayeon until she’s standing right in front of her, a smile she never believed her sister would ever direct at her again gracing rose colored lips. “a lot has changed since you left-

  
  


“since father threw me away, you mean.” her tone is darker now, and it makes momo pause, glancing at sana as she seems to beg for help. 

  
  


“yes, that. i’m sorry for making it seem like i didn’t care about you, it took a while for me to get over what happened and even longer to convince father of getting over the fact that his own daughter tried to overrule him.”

  
“so, you mean to tell me he didn’t kidnap mina to blackmail me?”

  
  


“oh, mina, that’s right.” momo breathes deeply, avoiding her stare, and it doesn’t work well in reassuring nayeon. for all she knows, this could very well be a trick to gain time and mina might be in danger even more than she had initially believed. “i’ll bring you to her right now, she’s in the back, but… can i get a hug first?”

  
  


there’s honesty dripping from her voice, her smile softening as she opens her arms and tilts her head to the side, waiting for nayeon to make the first move. she blinks, smile widening in a last try to get her to return the sweet attention, and for a short moment, she thinks it worked and she’s finally going to make up with her older sister.

  
  


“absolutely not.” 

  
  


nayeon walks right past her, and momo’s smile drops although she doesn’t immediately lower her arms. the look of despair she throws at sana probably explains why she brings her in a short hug instead, the two old friends hurrying after nayeon in fear of getting caught.

  
  


and not yet sure of how trust-worthy her sister’s words were, nayeon is still expecting to find chaos when she walks down a long hallway toward a simple wooden door, because none of what she’s seen for now makes sense. 

  
  


she has spent centuries thinking who she had once considered as her family hated her and would always keep her trapped in hell to face eternal punishment. and today, not only did she find out that her sister has organized her a welcoming party, but also that they’ve decided to keep all of their misunderstandings in the past. it doesn’t make sense to her, so instead of hoping for it to be true, she decides to hang onto the only person she knows she truly wants to see again.

  
  


and when she finds her, when she opens the door to see mina, hands clutching a warm cup of tea as she listens to her father, she knows this was never a greatly elaborated plan to bring her the final blow.

  
  


she can see it in mina’s eyes, the relief of seeing her again. but when she expected it to be due to deliverance from the prisoner they had made of her, it comes from something else, something that only concerns the two- or even the three- of them.

  
  


“you came?” mina breathes slowly in her ear, arms wrapped tightly around her back, and nayeon is unsure of how to respond for a moment, until sana joins them, and she naturally returns the embrace. “i wondered how long it would take for you to come back.”

  
  


it’s the first time mina hugs her, and she quietly notes that down in a corner of her mind, instead choosing to focus on the moment, an uncontrollable smile spreading on her lips. it might be a mistake to show such vulnerability in front of her father, something he could very well use against her, but the detective’s hold feels so reassuring that it’s the last thing on her mind.

  
  


and when sana kisses the crook of mina’s neck, a blush spreading up to the detective’s ears, she knows there’s no need to worry about a life without her anymore.

  
  


“sorry, we had something to discuss. i didn’t think my sister would use that as an opportunity to steal you away from me.”

  
  


“i was never yours to begin with, but i’ll let it go this one time.” mina rolls her eyes when nayeon smirks triumphantly, and pulls away from their hug, instead looking at sana with a surprising sparkle in deep brown eyes.

  
  


“not that i particularly want to interrupt such a sweet moment, but we all need to talk.”

  
  


nayeon could recognize the deep voice that resonates in the small room between any, and her smile instantly drops, her arms tensing as her attention goes from mina and sana lovingly checking on each other to her father. 

  
  


“you have three seconds to convince me not to leave.”

  
  


“i have a proposal i think you might want to hear.” he begins, standing from his seat to face his daughter properly. nayeon instinctively steps in front of mina, arms folded in a clear sign of impatience. he chuckles, reminded of the times she would sit next to him in the throne room, similar expression on her face as she waited for the authorization to leave and play with sana. “i know you weren’t the happiest in hell, especially because ruling it was not your choice but a punishment i believed would be beneficial for you.”

  
  


“beneficial?” she speaks slowly, and the flash of anger that passes through her eyes is not one her father misses.

  
  


“it was either this or your death, nayeon. and if i had to make the choice again, my decision would not change in the slightest.”

  
  


“so now you’re the hero who saved my life and i’m the ungrateful daughter, is that it?”

  
  


“would you please let me speak?” his tone cuts through the air threateningly, and nayeon has to bite down on her lip to keep herself from putting up an even stronger fight. if she were human, she would have probably drawn blood by the action. “i know mina is important to you, which is why i will make an exception for you, as long as you take your job in hell back. i’m not asking for you to go back to the life you ran away from, but more to supervise everything there. as long as everything goes smoothly, you can spend as much time on earth as you wish, and i will never bother you again. hell needs you, and no one else could lead it but you, nayeon.”

  
  


her expression is unreadable even for sana as she contemplates his proposal. and even though she strongly wants to grab sana and mina’s wrists and bring them back to earth right this instant, something tells her it wouldn’t be the right decision. 

  
  


with time, hell grew to become a part of herself that today defines her personality. letting go of it entirely would equal to giving up on such an important part of her world that she’s not sure she could ever survive it. 

  
  


and earth, earth is the temporary respite she had needed, the last opportunity to anger her father, and it had only worked partly. her immortality is not something that will ever be taken from her, and she’s not sure that in the next centuries, partying and owning a club will be any more interesting than the life she led in hell.

  
  


she wants to deny it, wants to conjure fire between her hands and burn heaven down entirely, but her father knows that she won’t just as well as he knows that this is not a proposal she can refuse.

  
  


“and what do i get in exchange?”

  
  


“mina and i were talking about a gift i would like to offer her. it’s not an easy decision to make, and neither is it yours, so i would like her to consider it further.” the secretive smile he directs toward the human is one she returns shyly, avoiding nayeon’s confused stare. “but the future seems clear to me, and although you have not confessed your love to her yet-”

  
  


“dad, you’re embarrassing me!” nayeon whines, reaching back to cover mina’s ears. the detective has trouble hiding her laugh, pretending to cough in her hand when nayeon glares at her father. “we had plans for this, you’re ruining the romance! do you even want me to accept this proposal, because i’m not sure i will anymore.”

  
  


reluctantly, nayeon brings her hands back to her sides and throws an innocent smile at mina, as if that could get her to forget about what she heard.

  
  


“before anyone here makes a hurried choice, can you tell us if this gift he’s talking about is worth it?” sana asks, finally intervening in the messy conversation and making sure to lighten the mood. she has always been able to feel the fire growing in nayeon’s heart as well as birds can sense thunder and fly away from it, and that has always made it easier for her to extinguish it before it engulfs their surroundings in flames. 

  
  


and all it takes for the tension that had taken over nayeon’s usually serene self is a nod from mina, her smile just as mysterious as her father's. 

  
  


“ok, let’s make a deal then.” nayeon sighs, aware of the importance of such a moment. contrary to the first time her father sent her down to hell, she has a choice to make, and the opportunity to decide for herself. and although she had never truly admitted to it, this moment is one she had been waiting for well over a millenia. 

  
  


when she’d left hell, it had not entirely been because she hated the place that had watched her grow into what heaven had never allowed her to be, but because she loathed the idea of being there because her father so wished it. “if mina decides to accept this weird thing you two have going on behind my back- which, i do not like for the sole reason that my soon-to-be girlfriend is currently closer to my father than i am- then i will too.”

  
  


“i fear that mina will always be my favorite in law-”

  
  


“hey! i was here first in case you forgot about me!” sana pouts, clutching onto one of nayeon’s arm. 

  
  


“right, you’re my second favourite then, and with all of the women that have shared my daughter’s life, i do believe that’s a pretty good score.” he relents, sana missing his amused tone and taking all of his words seriously.

  
  


mina is beaming when sana glances at her, and it almost makes her forget about how easy it was for him to forget about her. 

  
  


“anyway, we have to go now. staying in heaven for so long is probably not healthy for a human, and we need to pick nari from her grand-parents soon. i promised to help with her biology homework and to bake her another chocolate cake today, and she also needs to learn this really lame english poem for school.” nayeon says, looking at her watch. mina raises an eyebrow in surprise, wondering about how nayeon was able to keep herself updated with her own daughter’s schedule more than she herself was- and really, all that’s missing for her to look like an actual soccer mom is the van and the pink backpack nari adores on her shoulder. 

  
  


“you’ll need to tell me more about my grand-daughter the next time you come here.”

  
  


and before anyone can answer, nayeon reaches for their hands and disappears into thin air, the last glare she shots at her father one he’s not about to forget any time soon.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“about what my father said… well, there’s something nayeon and i wanted to ask you.”

  
  


the familiarity of her apartment finally allows mina to relax- not that heaven was threatening in any way, but being so far up in the sky, further than anyone had ever gone, did make her head spin occasionally. but before she can settle on the couch and pretend all of this was nothing but a collective hallucination they all went through, something is left to discuss, this time strictly between the three of them.

  
  


“oh, i know you both have feelings for me. we don’t need to go over that, and actually, i think there’s no need to make this any more complicated than it already is.”

  
  


turning around to face them, she finds a very obviously disappointed nayeon and a pouting sana in front of her.

  
  


“can you at least wait for the grandiose date sana and i have planned before agreeing to dating us?” sana hits her side, glaring at her, but nayeon ignores it. “i mean, it took a ton of planning and i had to ask so many old friends i hate to get a violinist to play your favorite song, if you say yes now, i’ll be sincerely disappointed.”

  
  


“she’s joking, you can answer now-”

  
  


“no, i’m not.” 

  
  


mina blinks, eyes going from one to another until she feels almost dizzy, but the situation is too entertaining for her to intervene just yet.

  
  


“nayeon, if you don’t shut it right now we’re making you sleep on the couch!”

  
  


“mina would never force me to sleep there, i have a sensitive back!”

  
  


“then i’ll be the one sleeping there.”

  
  


“but i don’t want you to.” 

  
  


and the mood suddenly takes an entirely different turn, both looking at each other with loving eyes and a sad pout, until sana closes the last bit of distance left between them and hugs her tightly. mina coughs when she realizes they’ve both forgotten about her, whispering sweet words in each other’s ears and refusing to pull away from one another. it works in catching their attention, but instead of going back to the serious conversation they were having, they simply each grab one of her hands until she’s part of the bone crushing hug.

  
  


“will you cry if i say i want you to be my girlfriends?”

  
  


the sobs that echo in the apartment is the only answer mina gets. 

  
  


it’s enough.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“come on, relax. nari is a sweet kid and she’s smart. if you show her your wings she’ll probably think you’re really cool.” nayeon’s thumb rubs soothing circles on sana’s wrist as they wait in front of mina’s door, and she desperately tries to lighten the mood before sana runs away in fear of what might happen.

  
  


tonight is the night sana meets nari for the first time, and although she knows mina returns their feelings, no matter how confusing they might be, she knows their relationship won’t last for much longer if nari dislikes her. it’s easier for nayeon, of course, they’re so close that people are already beginning to treat her as her second mother. and she deeply wishes to be able to share such a spot with her someday, but it’s for now far from being the case.

  
  


mina is still wearing the ‘my girlfriend is a sexy demon’ apron nayeon got her last week when she opens the door, and she only remembers she forgot to take it off when uncontrollable laughter echoes in the hallway, sana rolling her eyes amusedly.

  
  


“shut it, i couldn’t find my old one and didn’t want to dirty my dress.”

  
  


“sure, like i’m gonna believe that.” 

  
  


and without another word, nayeon enters the apartment, leaving them both behind.

  
  


mina must sense the anxiety that comes from sana’s smile because she steps out of the entrance and closes the door behind herself, giving them the small bit of privacy they sometimes need. the kiss she leaves on her lips is short but sweet nonetheless, and it does its job in reassuring her, tension dropping from the fallen angel’s shoulders.

  
  


“everything will go fine. she liked nayeon, so there are high chances of her liking you too.”

  
  


and of course, mina is right.

  
  


the night ends with nari tugging her toward her bedroom and excitedly showing her all of the superhero costumes her mother bought for, and even when mina insists it’s time for her to sleep, she refuses to leave sana’s side, rushing into the living room with a toothbrush between her teeth just because she couldn't stand being alone.

  
  


it truly feels unreal, to watch the small family mina has had for years become a part of her own life, and adding nayeon to the equation only makes her happier. 

  
  


there are tears glistening in her eyes when mina rushes from her daughter’s bedroom to settle on her side on the couch, nayeon already leaning onto the other one, and they’re both too absorbed by the tiring evening they’ve had to notice. sana does not cry then, blinking back her tears when mina sighs tiredly and lays her head on her laps, her hand immediately reaching for soft blonde hair.

  
  


sana does not cry, but she thinks about the domesticity of her new life, about the events that all led to this one particular moment. it’s so small, so meaningless for someone who has spent over a millennium being alive, and yet, she knows it’s a memory she could never forget. 

  
  


a glance at nayeon whose eyes have long ago closed, soft snores coming from her side of the couch, reminds her that nothing has really changed. 

  
  


a glance at mina who is gently caressing her hand, absent-mindedly fiddling with her fingers as her eyelids slowly flutter shut, reminds her that everything did, and that it was all for the best.

  
  


and although falling is the worst punishment for an angel, what she found when she landed was entirely worth it.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


“could you bring me to heaven?” mina asks nayeon on the next day as soon as she arrives at the station. her office is finally empty after having had to go through with a long explanation of why she couldn’t take so many days off in a row because they needed her presence here from jihyo, and although she knows it’s certainly not respecting the rules, there’s something important left for her to do. 

  
  


“like, right now?” 

  
  


“yeah. you don’t have to stay though, i just need to talk with your father.”

  
  


nayeon narrows her eyes, still trying to read through mina’s eyes to try and find any clue as to what they’re both planning. 

  
  


“well, if that’s what you want.”

  
  


next thing she knows, nayeon touches her wrists, and the brightness of a heavenly sky momentarily blinds her. she blinks, and when she finally succeeds in keeping her eyes open, nayeon is nowhere to be seen and momo is breathing fast, startled by her sudden appearance.

  
  


always putting a great importance to hospitality, momo offers to make her some tea again as she leads her toward the palace, and she’s soon enough left in the throne room, god sitting in front of her.

  
  


“you finally came to accept your gift, i presume.” 

  
  


mina takes a deep breath, looking around the room, so significant of a world that might soon become hers. and he’s right to use the term ‘finally’, she did spend a long time making a decision, a month having gone by since they last met. 

  
  


and it’s not that she’s ever had doubts, of course not. she knew from the beginning that, if sana and nayeon felt for her as much as she did, this would undeniably be her final decision. but it’s such a major change from her life, something that will, in a way, bind her to them, seal their destinies forever. that’s why she needed time, time to be entirely sure that she would never regret this.

  
  


and when she nods, an honest smile spreading on the man’s lips as a blinding light leaves his palm to settle in her chest, she knows she won’t.

  
  


there’s no way for her to be entirely convinced of it, no way for her to get any kind of confirmation, but the new light that resides in her chest, the light god gives to all newborn angels, giving them great powers as well as a promising destiny, feels too right in her chest not to belong there.

  
  


and when she had once believed that none of this was ever supposed to happen, from her meeting with nayeon to the way she fell for sana’s charms in an instant, something about it feels almost too right to be entirely random.

  
  


“have you made a decision concerning your daughter?” he asks, bringing her out of her thoughts.

  
  


“if you would allow her to wait, i would like for her to make it herself when she’s mature enough to do so. becoming half-angel is not a light decision to take, and i wouldn't impose anything on her.”

  
  


he stands from his white throne and walks down the stairs until he’s standing in front of mina, and his eyes are not brown anymore but almost white, two windows to his thoughts. “i’ve been observing you for a while now, and i’m glad to know you’re as wise as i believed you to be. both my daughter and sana- but especially my daughter- will need that.”

  
  


they spend the rest of the morning having tea as he shares memories of a young nayeon with her, and momo joins them in the middle of it with tea, eager to tell her all about the few secrets only she knows about the beginning of her relationship with sana.

  
  


she leaves with the promise to invite them for dinner someday, and she does so with help from momo who teaches her how to travel between worlds- not that it does anything to suppress the dizziness of a first trip.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


mina has never seen them happier than they were when she told them about what exactly this gift was about- although nayeon’s happiness is short-lived when she remembers she has to work now, and with the state hell must be after so much time since her departure, there will probably a lot for her to do there.

  
  


and she knows there’s still quite a lot left for her to do as well. she hasn’t told nari yet about their relationship, although the little girl is smart and certainly has an idea as to why sana and nayeon have been coming for dinner each night. 

  
  


(they make sure to leave unnoticed in the morning, not yet wanting her to know they have been staying the night, but that becomes useless when the child rushes into her mother’s bedroom and slips between sana and nayeon, comfortably spending the rest of the night there.

  
  


it’s too sweet for either of them to mind it, and they can stand being separated for a bit, although it has become rare.)

  
  


although she quickly opens her arms to her new family, it takes time for nayeon to come around concerning her father, momo becoming a part of her life again fairly quickly. and sana has to intervene for their relationship to go back to normal, organizing a small reunion of sorts during which they both talk about the past and promise to leave it behind.

  
  


that’s when nayeon finds out her father only sent sana down to earth because he knew she would never truly be happy again in heaven, away from the love of her life. and that’s certainly what convinces her to let go of the rage that had still been dormant inside of her heart, a rage that only truly stops when he promises to reform heaven following her advice.

  
  


mina, on the other hand, gets used to her new life easily for it does not change much about her daily life save for the fact that she can pay a visit to nayeon when it gets late and she has to finish some work at the office- it’s oddly similar to the office any human ceo would have if she ignores the fact that it’s on top of a volcano and unusually warm.

  
  


sana has a spot of her own there, and so does tzuyu, the three working together although the fallen angel has recently shown interest in taking over the nightclub and turning it into a chic restaurant. nayeon lets her, because the excited sparkle in her eyes as she tells her all about the ideas she got and the chefs that are willing to work there are more than enough for her heart to burn delicately, and that’s where they all find each other on the evenings nari spends with her grandparents.

  
  


and when she felt guilty about nayeon having to go back to hell, she seems to be having a lot more fun there than she did on earth, or at least that’s what she got from the times she excitedly gets carried away during dinner while telling them about the day she’s had.

  
  


in a way, this feels like the epilogue of her life, like the end of a long and yet abrupt change she had not seen coming. 

  
  


when she thinks back to all of the moments they shared before coming as one, it feels like all they will ever know from now on is peace, and it might not be the case, not when one of her girlfriends is the devil and the other one a fallen angel trying to pass as humans, but she’s alright with that. 

  
  


she’s alright with it, because she supposes peace could get tedious after centuries of it, and she thinks she can trust nayeon and sana to make sure each and every day she spends by their sides will be better than the previous one.

  
  


and if this is the epilogue, then she’s happy to say she loved her own story.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“so, are you my sister now?”

  
  


“of course not, i hate your guts.” 

  
  


nari nods, balancing her legs repeatedly from her spot next to tzuyu on the couch. the living room is empty, and the demon is secretly hoping for nayeon to arrive at any moment. the mansion they moved in is certainly big enough for her to find a comfortable place to hide without ever being found, but something keeps her from abandoning nari- perhaps it is the money nayeon promised her for babysitting her, or it might be the sisterly duties she’s beginning to feel, but either way, she doesn’t wish to comment on it.

  
  


“sana says we’re sisters though.”

  
  


“she lied.”

  
  


“mommy says lying is bad.”

  
  


tzuyu sighs, the urge to reach for one of her daggers to throw it at the wall getting more intense with every second she spends here, the only way she’s ever found to relieve stress.

  
  


“well, your mommy is dating the devil. i think that’s pretty bad too.”

  
  


nari seems to pause for a moment, deep in thoughts, and tzuyu almost thinks she’s finally done.

  
  


“do you have cool horns like nayeon?”

  
  


“you know what,” tzuyu groans, passing a hand through her hair as her patience reaches its limit. “i’m your sister, you’re right. now, if i teach you how to use deadly weapons, will you quit it?”

  
  


nari nods excitedly, and mina almost has an attack when she arrives home to see her daughter running around with a sword.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


“you two always say you love each other but i’ve never gotten to hear it since that one time mina took us on a special date. what’s keeping you from saying it more often?”

  
  


“you had shirts that said ‘my girlfriends love me’ printed the last and only time we did and forced us to wear them every day for a month, nayeon.” 

  
  


sana sighs, breath hitting the crook of the devil’s neck softly. her arms tighten around her waist and mina’s fingers continue to trace circles over her stomach absent-mindedly.

  
  


“are you judging my tastes?”

  
  


mina sits up to glare at her and the next thing she knows, soft lips fall over hers in a kiss that leaves her breathless.

  
  


“us wearing the shirts were enough proof of our love for you.” she says, rolling her eyes. “now shut up, i need you to help me catch a serial killer tomorrow.”

  
  


sana’s lips replace mina’s, and she almost forgets about the shirts- not that she won’t search for them tomorrow, she’s always happy to bring a trend back.

  
  


they all fall asleep with a tender smile gracing their lips, and mina dreams of a bouquet of edelweiss matching a long white dress. 

  
  


(and it so happens that her dreams have a tendency of coming true, her mind the author of her own story, seemingly having chosen just how it will end already.)

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
